With the municipal corporation (MC) getting regular complaints of sanitation workers from Mohali throwing unsegregated waste in Chandigarh’s jurisdiction, MC commissioner Anindita Mitra has taken up the issue with the Mohali deputy commissioner (DC).
The sanitation workers from Mohali allegedly throw heaps of unsegregated garbage at an open space on a road leading to Punjab and Haryana high court in Chandigarh after collecting it from Nayagaon and Kansal villages, as per MC officials.
In a letter to Mohali DC Aashika Jain, the MC commissioner said, “It is brought to your attention that due to the dumping of garbage by hand carts from Nayagaon and Kansal villages, a garbage vulnerable point (GVP) has been created at an open space at the confluence of Nayagaon and Kansal villages. The road leads to Punjab and Haryana high court, as it falls towards the backside of Punjab Civil Secretariat, Sector 2, Chandigarh.”
“This location falls under Chandigarh jurisdiction and is not only posing a serious threat to the environment but also has a negative impact on public health and well-being,” the commissioner added.
The MC commissioner requested the DC to depute a dedicated team at the said spot to ensure that no garbage is dumped further and GVP is not recreated again.
{{/usCountry}}The MC commissioner requested the DC to depute a dedicated team at the said spot to ensure that no garbage is dumped further and GVP is not recreated again.
{{/usCountry}}Mitra also said the garbage point could badly impact the city’s ranking, as a team from the central government was scheduled to visit Chandigarh shortly for inspecting the city for Swacch Survekshan 2023.
The MC officials said due to the garbage dump it had become difficult for the civic body employees to process the mixed garbage. The new technology processing plants, which are in the process of being set up at Dadumajra, will process waste only if it is 100% segregated.
Cameras to control open dumping of garbage
With an aim to keep a strict vigil on residents dumping garbage at open places in the city, MC on Wednesday floated tenders to invite private firms to install CCTV cameras at 35 spots that are vulnerable to garbage dumping across the city.
The cameras, which will be installed at the cost of ₹38 lakh, will be linked with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at Sector 17. The centre will get alerts about illegal dumping and defaulters will be issued challans.
Mitra said, “As per a survey, there are 100 garbage vulnerable points across the city, which includes parks, back lanes, open spaces and others. But the points have been reduced to 35. At these 35 areas, people dump unsegregated waste, especially during night and the spots have become garbage dumps. To keep a tab on those defaulters, cameras will be installed so that they can be challaned.”
In June, 408 residents were challaned for not segregating waste at their homes whereas the number rose to 525 in July. With this, the civic body is also focusing on challaning people for littering in the city. In June, 174 people were challaned for littering or disposing of garbage on the back lanes, roads and streets, and 300 defaulters were challaned in July.