No more late-night dumping: Police patrol for clean streets

Ludhiana: Fearing the wrath of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the municipal corporation has deployed cops at two garbage dumping points (compactor sites) to prevent illegal disposal of waste during off-hours.
At the Dugri and Jawahar Nagar camp sites, garbage dumping occurs throughout the day, and at night, waste from private institutions and other bulk generators often spills over, sometimes obstructing the road.Therefore, police have been assigned to monitor these sites during the night.

These two locations are part of the solid waste sites listed in a petition submitted to the NGT by activist Kapil Arora. Recently, a court commissioner appointed by the NGT visited the city to inspect the garbage dumping sites, before submitting his report before the tribunal.
On Friday night while cops were on duty at Jawahar Nagar camp site, several rehdis filled with garbage were found parked on the road, making it challenging for commuters to find parking space, especially with the increased market activity for Karwa Chauth.
Similarly, the Dugri compactor site has been a topic of contention, as its machines have been deemed defunct. Consequently, officials proposed new equipment for the site. In the meantime, garbage is still collected as usual, but during periods of heavy waste influx, it often spills over and blocks nearly half of the road.
An ex-councillor, Balwinder Singh, said, “The designated time for delivering garbage at the Jawahar Nagar camp compactor site is 2pm, but garbage collectors continue to bring in waste throughout the day. As a result, the compactor site remains uncleaned. Moreover, the site holds more garbage than its actual capacity, which has necessitated the need to counsel the waste collectors to bring in garbage only till the allowed time.” He said the capacity of the site should also be enhanced to tackle the waste collection efficiently.
While confirming the move, Vipal Malhotra, the medical officer from MC’s health branch, said, “Illegal dumping of garbage continues at these two sites during night time. The garbage scatters over the road and people complain about poor garbage management in the city. Therefore, cops have been deployed at these sites during night hours.”