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Locals flag illegal scrap burning in Faridabad’s Pali
Residents of Pali village in Faridabad’s NIT area have flagged recurring waste burning and unscientific waste processing at an alleged illegal scrap processing site, causing air pollution in the vicinity
Residents of Pali village in Faridabad’s NIT area have flagged recurring waste burning and unscientific waste processing at an alleged illegal scrap processing site, causing air pollution in the vicinity.
According to residents, unsegregated dumping and burning of waste on private plots near the Ballabhgarh-Sohna road over the past year have resulted in a stench and thick, toxic smoke.
A spot check by HT on Thursday found heaps of unsegregated wet and dry waste dumped along the farm fields.
“Living conditions have been miserable here over the past year. Initially set up in a small area, the processing site now sits on a large plot without any sanitary or safety measures while processing plastic, metal, and rubber,” a Pali resident said, requesting anonymity.
Another resident said that scrap and wire burning to recover precious metals is common late at night. “At least five such incidents have been reported over the past few months, yet authorities fail to take action,” he said.
When reached, Puneet Pathak, assistant environment engineer at Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB)’s Ballabhgarh division, said an action was initiated against the owners of the site after illegal waste burning was reported in July. “While the site has no permission to carry on processing, further action will be taken by district authorities,” Pathak added.
HSPCB records show that a challan for ₹25,000 was issued against the site’s owners for the disposal of solid waste at an unauthorised place, causing environmental damage.
Officials said the locals had also submitted a complaint against the site at Dabua police station, following which an FIR under Section 15 (penalties for breaking the law, rules, or official orders) of the Environment Protection Act was registered on February 5.
The residents alleged no action had been taken to remove the site since the complaints were submitted to the HSPCB and local authorities.
“Based on the residents’ concerns, we have written to the sub-divisional magistrate to initiate a removal action against the processing site. The action planned on August 12 has been postponed to August 18 due to the unavailability of security deployment while clearing the site,” said Anshu Dagar, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Pali.
