Uruli residents catch landfill being packed with wet, mixed waste
.
FRESH SALVO FIRED IN GARBAGE CRISIS
This is in direct violation ofNGT orders and PMC ’s past assurances to only use inert waste in the multi-crore project; villagers block fresh trucks bringing waste, will approach NGT with fresh proofs
The garbage crisis seems to loom unendingly over the city, at the core of which lie repeated blunders by thePune Municipal Corporation ’s (PMC) solid waste management department when it comes to the dumping sites of Uruli Devachi and Phursungi villages. And now, in a new brouhaha sparking fresh discord with these villagers, the civic body may have been caught blatantly violating green court orders.
On Tuesday, villagers nabbed sundry workers red-handed with several containers and machineries dumping and using unsegregated solid waste as filler inside the landfill site of the depot — in direct contravention of various orders issued byNational Green Tribunal (NGT) at regular intervals since 2016.
Now, local residents and members of the Kachra Depot Hatav SangharshSamiti (KDHSS) have submitted this evidence to the Pune municipal commissioner and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), demanding action for violations of the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules of 2000 and the Environment Protection Act , 1986.
The villagers have also decided to raise the issue during the hearing of an ongoing contempt petition in the NGT. Further, Samiti members have decided not to allow a single vehicle coming in the name of processing waste to enter the dumping site. Following a petition by KDHSS in the NGT in 2015, that same year, as per an affidavit given by PMC to the green court, it was accepted that there would be a complete ban on any dumping of garbage at the site. It was further assured that PMC will do biomining of the entire trash at the dumpsite and that recyclable waste like plastic would be separated and sent for recycling. Only the remaining 15 per cent of inert waste would be allowed in as landfill at the dumping site.
And yet, PMC has now allegedly started bringing in fresh waste from both functional and defunct plants.
KDHSS member Ranjeet Raskar, who resides at Phursungi, said, “PMC issued a tender for scientific landfilling and decided to use only non-recyclable solid waste as per NGT’s directions. But now, it is making a fool of us and the entire city by spending crores in the name of garbage processing. We have stopped containers of PMC from coming inside the village. MPCB is also neglecting the rampant violation of conditions, which is actually its duty,” he said, adding, “We came to know about this fraud after we noticed a foul smell emanating from the landfill site. Only old trash is allowed to be used for this purpose, but the smell indicated that it was fresh waste. When we checked, it was shocking. Other recyclable material along with wet unsegregated waste are used for landfilling.”
Bhagwan Bhadale, KDHSS president and a petitioner against PMC, said, “We noticed that this waste was brought from closed plants like the Disha vermicompost plant, and to provide benefit to contractors to meet their waste disposal targets. Unless MPCB officials visit and check on this, we will not allow the project to run. We have asked MPCB to conduct a panchnama of all dump waste and containers to prove our claim. We will also raise this issue during the NGT contempt hearing.”
Dilip Mehta, an activist and local villager, echoed, “Unsegregated fresh waste being dumped here could create huge trouble and defeat the whole purpose of our petitions. The villagers will not allow any vehicle to enter now. The protest continues.”
The authorities also assured action. MPCB sub-regional officer for Pune Pratap Jagtap said, “We have been informed by villagers about the ongoing problem at the dumping site. We are sending our team to visit. A site survey will be conducted to verify the claims. Any violation will invite hefty fines.”
Additional municipal commissioner Kunal Khemnar could not be contacted for comment despite repeated calls. However, deputy municipal commissioner and solid waste management department head Ajit Deshmukh said, “We are sending our engineers to the site to find out the ground reality. We will check if there is any fault in the machines that screen the waste.”
This is in direct violation of
The garbage crisis seems to loom unendingly over the city, at the core of which lie repeated blunders by the
On Tuesday, villagers nabbed sundry workers red-handed with several containers and machineries dumping and using unsegregated solid waste as filler inside the landfill site of the depot — in direct contravention of various orders issued by
As per the mandate, only old, inert (rejected) waste can be used at the landfill, which is neither decomposed nor recyclable. But taking wrongful advantage of the site’s availability (for which PMC is spending Rs 18 crore of public money), it seems the authorities have started using plastic and wet waste for landfilling purposes — and further, these have been allegedly brought in from other projects owned by PMC and run by private contractors, so as to benefit the latter.
Now, local residents and members of the Kachra Depot Hatav Sangharsh
The garbage landfill site at Uruli Devachi and Phursungi (above, R) is a Rs 18 crore project of PMC, but Kachra Depot Hatav Sangharsh Samiti members (above, L) claim it is being filled with wet and unsegregated waste (inset) instead of pure inert waste, as is scientifically correct
The villagers have also decided to raise the issue during the hearing of an ongoing contempt petition in the NGT. Further, Samiti members have decided not to allow a single vehicle coming in the name of processing waste to enter the dumping site. Following a petition by KDHSS in the NGT in 2015, that same year, as per an affidavit given by PMC to the green court, it was accepted that there would be a complete ban on any dumping of garbage at the site. It was further assured that PMC will do biomining of the entire trash at the dumpsite and that recyclable waste like plastic would be separated and sent for recycling. Only the remaining 15 per cent of inert waste would be allowed in as landfill at the dumping site.
And yet, PMC has now allegedly started bringing in fresh waste from both functional and defunct plants.
KDHSS member Ranjeet Raskar, who resides at Phursungi, said, “PMC issued a tender for scientific landfilling and decided to use only non-recyclable solid waste as per NGT’s directions. But now, it is making a fool of us and the entire city by spending crores in the name of garbage processing. We have stopped containers of PMC from coming inside the village. MPCB is also neglecting the rampant violation of conditions, which is actually its duty,” he said, adding, “We came to know about this fraud after we noticed a foul smell emanating from the landfill site. Only old trash is allowed to be used for this purpose, but the smell indicated that it was fresh waste. When we checked, it was shocking. Other recyclable material along with wet unsegregated waste are used for landfilling.”
Bhagwan Bhadale, KDHSS president and a petitioner against PMC, said, “We noticed that this waste was brought from closed plants like the Disha vermicompost plant, and to provide benefit to contractors to meet their waste disposal targets. Unless MPCB officials visit and check on this, we will not allow the project to run. We have asked MPCB to conduct a panchnama of all dump waste and containers to prove our claim. We will also raise this issue during the NGT contempt hearing.”
Dilip Mehta, an activist and local villager, echoed, “Unsegregated fresh waste being dumped here could create huge trouble and defeat the whole purpose of our petitions. The villagers will not allow any vehicle to enter now. The protest continues.”
The authorities also assured action. MPCB sub-regional officer for Pune Pratap Jagtap said, “We have been informed by villagers about the ongoing problem at the dumping site. We are sending our team to visit. A site survey will be conducted to verify the claims. Any violation will invite hefty fines.”
Additional municipal commissioner Kunal Khemnar could not be contacted for comment despite repeated calls. However, deputy municipal commissioner and solid waste management department head Ajit Deshmukh said, “We are sending our engineers to the site to find out the ground reality. We will check if there is any fault in the machines that screen the waste.”
Recent Messages ()
Please rate before posting your Review
SIGN IN WITH
Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive. Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.