MP, Noida authority at loggerheads over landfill site in Sector 54

The Noida authority additional chief executive officer RK Mishra on Monday said they will continue dumping or treatment of municipal solid waste on the Sector 54 green belt,irrespective of the residents’ protests over the issue.

Residents of several residential areas that include sectors 22, 23, 24, 55, 56, 57 and 51, among others, are opposing the landfill site on the ground that the site is causing health issues in the neighbourhood.

They also protested against the authority’s move on Sunday at the site. Gautam Budh Nagar MP Dr Mahesh Sharma, who is also the minister of state for environment, forest and climate change, supported the residents’ protest and assured them that municipal solid waste will not be dumped in Sector 54 as it causes problems to thousands of people living near the site.

“We will not let the authority dump solid waste in Sector 54 because it troubles residents living around it. We have given three days to the authority to arrange an alternative landfill site,” Sharma said.

In December 2017, the authority had started dumping of solid waste on the Sector 54 green belt area after residents in Sector 123 started opposing the landfill in their locality.

Mishra, however, said the authority will not succumb to the pressure mounted by residents’ protests.

“We will continue dumping and treating solid waste on the Sector 54 green belt as it is the most suitable site for the purpose. Since the site is surrounded by a green buffer zone, the odour is masked. We are making refuse-derived fuel (RDF) out of the solid waste at this site. Therefore, there is no need to shift the site to another place,” he said.

Read I Sector 123 residents oppose Noida’s only ready landfill site

Noida authority chief executive officer Alok Tandon has written to East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) requesting it to allow dumping of Noida’s RDF at the Ghazipur landfill site.

“With the permission of the EDMC, we will dump our RDF at the Ghazipur landfill, where they are converting it to energy,” Mishra said.

The authority also has plans to develop a waste-to-energy plant at the Sector 123 landfill site, which is spread over 25 acres.

“It will take us time to develop a waste-to-energy plant in Sector 123. We are not in a hurry because we will do the treatment of the solid waste in Sector 54 for now. Residents need not worry as making of RDF does not cause any smell or health problem,” Mishra said.

Meanwhile, MP Sharma’s representative Sanajay Bali along with BJP workers on Monday met Mishra and asked him to stop dumping waste in Sector 54 immediately.

“We have asked the ACEO to stop dumping waste immediately as it is affecting thousands of people. We hope that he will comply. The authority should find another suitable place, where the activity would not trouble residents,” Bali said.