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Panchkula: Protesters evicted from Jhuriwala dumping ground in midnight crackdown
In a midnight crackdown, Panchkula administration on Sunday forcibly evicted at least 100 residents who had been protesting at the entrance of Jhuriwala dumping ground for the last three days
In a midnight crackdown, Panchkula administration on Sunday forcibly evicted at least 100 residents who had been protesting at the entrance of Jhuriwala dumping ground for the last three days. The authorities dismantled tents and removed the protesters to pave way for municipal corporation garbage trucks.
The operation was led by Panchkula deputy commissioner Mahavir Kaushik and DCP Surinder Pal Singh. Police resorted to using water cannons and mild force to disperse the protesters, but officials said no one was injured in the process.
Residents of trans-Ghaggar sectors had been complaining of foul smell, water contamination and health problems caused by the dumping of garbage in the open.
They were carrying out a ‘havan’ at the time of the eviction. Entry of trucks immediately started after the operation.
The residents had on Friday erected tents and stopped the entry of trucks into the dumping ground leading to garbage pile-ups across Panchkula.
The deputy commissioner, who had reached the spot at 11.50pm on Sunday, said, “The way leading to the dumping ground cannot be blocked at any cost. Such arm-twisting will not be tolerated.”
Nitesh, president of Jhuriwala Dumping Ground Samiti, said the administration has sought 15 days’ time from them.
“In case they fail to find an alternative site for garbage disposal, we will launch another protest.”
Panchkula city generates about 200 metric tonnes of garbage daily. Earlier, it was dumped in Sector 23, but the civic body, reportedly without adequate clearance, later converted 12 acres of forest land in Jhuriwala into a dumping ground.
“We will not let any single garbage truck to dispose waste here until we get a written assurance from the authorities that they will shift the dumping site in a time-bound manner,” Parshant Singh, a resident at the forefront of the protest, had said.
“We have met multiple political leaders and government officers, but all we got were false assurances,” said Vinima Mahajan, 58, a protester. “The pollution has started taking toll on our health,” she added. Sanyogita Lamba, a 78-year-old retired school principal, said, “My family has been experiencing irritation in eyes, which doctors attributed to air pollution.”
Litigations related to Jhuriwala dumping ground are pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court, with next hearing on November 29, and in the National Green Tribunal on November 15.
