E-Paper
N-Choe turns into dumping ground as civic body, UT administration fail to act
This choe carries with it sludge from Chandigarh and helps to drain the excess rainwater and prevent waterlogging in the city
With no active surveillance by municipal corporation and UT administration, the N-Choe in Chandigarh has turned into a dumping site for construction and demolition waste.
Big heaps of garbage, including construction and demolishing waste material, horticulture and other scraps can be seen strewn across the streamline of N-Choe passing through Sector 10, 23 and 36.
An environmentalist and resident of Sector 36, L R Bhudniya alleged that recently Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, dumped all their ground malba in the stream of N-Choe which flows at the backside of the school.
“Following the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders, the municipal corporation has set up a construction and demolition (C&D) plant in the Industrial Area, Phase 1, to deal with the malba.The residents can dump the malba at the plant on their own expense. But no one is aware and people find it easy to dump the waste in these nullahs.”
Sector 23 resident, Ashwani Kumar, who has been residing in the area for past 45 years, said, “During and after the monsoons, waterlogging takes place on Sector 23/16 dividing road. The situation has remained same for two years now.The stream is blocked due to the waste.”
“Despite repeated requests, the concerned authorities have failed to take action.Now, the area is posing a risk of diseases. Also, the area emanates a foul smell,” he said.
MC and admn’s role
The maintenance of the N-Choe is the responsibility of municipal corporation (MC) and UT administration.
The civic body’s C & D section is in- charge of stopping the debris from being dumped in these nullahs.The MC has the authority to issue a ₹5,000 challan to a person and institution dumping waste. The cleanliness and maintenance are with UT engineering wing. MC commissioner KK Yadav said, “The UT’s engineering wing will look into the matter.” However, feigning ignorance,chief engineer, Chandigarh, Mukesh Anand said that he is unaware of the situation, “so cannot comment over the same.”
Importance of N- choe
The N-Choe is a seasonal stream that originates in Chandigarh. It starts near the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Sector 2, Chandigarh and passes through Sectors 16, 23, 36, 41, 42 before meandering to Kajheri village. It then flows to Mohali, Burail jail, and then on to Phase 9, PCA stadium, Sectors 66, 67, and to the Chilla and Mohali villages. The stream finally flows towards the Patiala district before falling into the Ghaggar river in Haryana.
This choe carries with it sludge from Chandigarh and helps to drain the excess rainwater and prevent waterlogging in the city.
The rules
As per the C & D Waste Management Rules 2016, all the waste generators should be segregated into four categories, concrete, soil, steel and wood. The waste should be either deposited at the construction and demolishing processing unit or allotted a dumping site. However, there is no provision for environmental compensation.
