Gurugram residents force civic body’s new material recovery facilities shut

MCG officials said the facility will resume work on Wednesday, in the presence of police, and those who try to intervene will face legal action, said officials. The facility started operations in the first week of October

Hundreds of residents in South City- 2 and Ullawas village in Sector 61 on Tuesday protested against the recently opened material recovery facilities (MRFs) managed by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and its waste concessionaire Ecogreen, alleging that the composting pits at the plant were built in the open, causing a foul smell to permeate the area. Some of the protesters also claimed that the plant was constructed without their consent no more than two feet away from their homes.

Some of the protesters also claimed that the plant was constructed without their consent no more than two feet away from their homes. (HT Photo)

A similar protest was also held In Ullawas village, where at least 100 villagers gathered around 9am and locked the gates of the MRF site.

An MRF is where waste is brought in a segregated manner and then further segregated into various categories according to their reusability and recyclability. Glass, plastic, metal, paper, cardboard, and rubber materials are segregated and handed over to MCG empanelled scrap dealers for recycling. The MRFs also have composite pits at the site for wet waste. This is a step towards decentralising the waste collection process in the city and reducing the amount of waste that is transported to the Bandhwari landfill site.

MCG officials said the facility will resume work on Wednesday, in the presence of police, and those who try to intervene will face legal action, said officials. The facility started operations in the first week of October.

Shyrie Jain, E block president of South City -2, said they forcibly stopped dumping at the MRF till they hear from MCG on their complaint filed on October 18. “Residents stopped trucks from dumping and MCG officials, from the Swachh Bharat Mission department, came to speak with us on Tuesday. We had no intimation of this plant being set up. It was constructed this year without the consent of residents or the RWA of South City-2. The health hazards (from the facility) are monumental,” she said.

Jain said residents have repeatedly reached out to multiple MCG officials and they were told for over six months that a nursery was being built there. “Bulldozers in the middle of night were brought to construct this MRF,” she said.

A similar protest was also held In Ullawas village, where at least 100 villagers gathered around 9am and locked the gates of the MRF site.

Ram Avtar, a villager, said they were ready to give MCG an alternative site and would not let the centre operate out of its present location and the site was close to their village temple. “The garbage from entire city is brought there which is polluting our soil, water and air. We don’t want the residents to face health issues,” he said.

MCG officials said the protest was inspired by the “garbage mafia”, which is hit by the segregation and audit of waste from across the city.

MCG joint commissioner Naresh Kumar said, “These are designated sites and MRF units were set up after all approvals. There is no spilling, smell, leachate or any reason to protest. Some people have vested interests and they don’t want others to collect waste that can be sold by them. So they are instigating people to protest. We have sought police help and we will start the process in their presence starting Wednesday,” he said.

According to Ecogreen officials, the MRF in Ullawas is spread over an acre of land and the waste will be segregated in a semi-mechanised manner. Trommel machines have been installed to help with mechanised screening and segregation of waste in the future, they said.

The facility has a capacity to process around 100 tonnes of waste daily and receives waste from MCG’s zone 3 areas — Golf Course Road, Mall Mile, Sushant Lok 1, DLF Phases 1,2,3,4, and 5, Sectors 44 and 52, and Wazirabad.

Suvendu Samantaray, general manager, operations, Ecogreen, said they were suffering losses due to the ongoing issues and protests. “Residents in both areas have locked the facility and are stationed there to stop anybody from reopening them. They did not let us operate either MRF centre. The facility is a step towards decentralization of waste collection and treatment and contributes towards management of fresh waste within the city. The employees fear for their safety and so we have shut operations till security and support is assured by local authorities,” he said.