Residents choke as garbage piles set afire in Gurugram

Several Gurugram residents and activists have alleged that garbage is being dumped and burnt indiscriminately on a 5km stretch on the the Gurugram-Faridabad highway, near the Aravallis for a month, adding that civic authorities have taken no action despite repeated complaints

Several Gurugram residents and activists have alleged that garbage is being dumped and burnt indiscriminately on a 5km stretch on the the Gurugram-Faridabad highway, near the Aravallis for a month, adding that civic authorities have taken no action despite repeated complaints.

Garbage being burnt in the open at Daulatabad in Gurugram on Wednesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The residents said they approached the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) about the issue saying at least 10 spots along the stretch — from Golf Course Extension Road to Faridabad toll plaza — have turned into illegal dumping grounds for over a month.

However, authorities said private vendors were dumping waste in the open, after collecting it from residential areas, adding that they were yet to identify the agencies involved in the act.

Kusum Sharma, a resident of Suncity Township in Sector 54, said that many vehicles unload garbage and subsequently set it on fire. “It is important to identify the people who are involved in dumping and burning the garbage,” she said.

Joint commissioner of MCG, Naresh Kumar, said that they have taken action against many private vendors. “We implemented the graded response action plan (Grap) on October 1, the teams have been instructed to inspect all areas where waste burning is suspected or reported. We have already fined 253 entities a total of ₹28,69,500 lakh for violating the Grap between October 1 and December 13,” said Kumar.

MCG officials said that residents shared pictures and videos of the spots in question adding that their enforcement wing has visited the stretch several times this week to identify the spots.

Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder-member of “Why Waste Your Waste”, a civil society movement for a zero waste city, said fresh dumping sites have come up on the stretch and private vendors burn waste in the open regularly. “We are witnessing innumerable spot-burnings of mixed waste. One of the reasons is that people think burning waste is the easiest way to get rid of it... We are surprised police have not been able to nab anyone to date,” said Takkar.

Vaishali Chandra Rana, a city-based environmentalist, said: “There is a blanket of smoke in the evenings over the Ghata, Gwal Pahari, Behrampur, Bandhwari, Ullawas, Baliawas and Badhsahpur. There is a stench of burnt plastic lingering in the air”. She reiterated they reported the matter to MCG but nothing has been done.