Burning garbage dump triggers panic in Giaspura

Times News Network
Ludhiana: Residents of flats in Giaspura area panicked on Friday night when they saw smoke emanating from a garbage dump, which caught fire. Residents complained about breathing difficulty and some also started coughing. One person lost conscious due to the dense smoke. The fire started on Friday afternoon and spread considerably by the night, when area residents called the fire brigade. Although firemen doused the flames, residents said that garbage was being dumped illegally in a vacant plot and the problem had not been solved despite several complaints to elected representatives.
Residents of the flats started feeling uneasy around 10pm and had to cover their faces. They said that the situation was particularly dangerous for those suffering from asthma. Area resident Sandeep Shukla said, “Authorities did not learn anything from the recent gas leak tragedy and they want more innocent people to die. I have also raised the issue of this illegal dump several times but officials did not bother to get it cleaned.” He also claimed that a “gang” burned the garbage illegally. Meanwhile, an MC official said that they had cleared the illegal dump a few months ago but residents living in the flats dumped garbage again. Joint commissioner Kulpreet Singh first expressed ignorance about any such incident, he called back and said, “It was garbage in a plot and fire brigade controlled it.”