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Ulhasnagar gets plot for dump yard
Solid waste would be better managed in Ulhasnagar.
Solid waste would be better managed in Ulhasnagar.
The state government has given its approval to allot 30-acre plot to Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) at Usatane village in Ambernath taluka.
This comes as a major relief to the civic body which has been demanding a place to dump and manage solid waste.
In September, National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the civic body to shut the illegal dumping ground behind Lal Chakki, Ulhasnagar 5, as the rampant fires there had been causing pollution.
In a meeting between the state government officials and UMC officials on December 13, the state government decided to allot 30-acre land near the 38-acre plot allotted to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) earlier.
“The state has decided to allot us a plot for solid waste management and we will wait till the plot is transferred to us. This will help the civic body efficiently manage the waste generated,” said Vinod Kene, chief sanitary inspector, UMC.
The state will first allot a 15-acre land to the UMC and later the rest will be transferred.
In 2016, an activist from Ulhasnagar, Rajkumar Kukreja, approached the NGT on the illegal dumping of waste at Ulhasnagar 5.
Following this, the NGT had ordered the civic body to shut the dumping ground.
“The waste at the dumping ground catches fire often and the residents living nearby have been facing health problems. We had complained this to the civic body several times but no one paid heed to it. Children have breathing trouble while senior residents are always ill,” said Mahinder Baweja, 39, a resident of Lal Chakki, Ulhasnagar 5.
Three years ago, the civic body started dumping waste on the plot as it does not have a proper site to dispose of garbage. It earlier used to dump waste at Khemani area in Ulhasnagar.
“We had told the state government that we don’t have a plot to dump waste. We also said the existing dumping site can be shut only if we get an alternative site,” said an UMC official, who did not wish to be named.
Ulhasnagar, sprawling across 16 km area, is struggling to efficiently dispose of solid waste.
Its population as per the 2010 Census is 5.61 lakhs, which the civic officials said has doubled.
In 2017, the state government sanctioned a 20-acre plot in Usatane village, a part of Karavale village in Ambernath taluka. UMC started dumping waste at the site but it had to stop after the locals protested.
At least 350 metric tonnes of waste comprising non-segregated dry and wet waste and debris is being dumped at the 2-acre illegal dumping site daily by the civic body. Around 500 residents live in slums near the dump yard.
“Earlier, the locals protested against dumping at this village. After the state’s decision to give 30-acre land for dumping ground has not been opposed so we are hoping there will not be a hurdle. The issue of dumping waste is a major one in Ulhasnagar and if not attended on time will worsen the situation,” said Sashikant Dayma, a social activist from Ulhasnagar.
On November 3 last year, the state government’s decision to hand over a 38.85 hectares of land at Karavale village in Ambernath for dumping, had met with stong opposition from the villagers. The tribals and farmers, who feared losing their land in the project had gheroed the officials, who had gone to meet them to acquire land.
In April 2016, the town planning department of UMC had proposed to use the 82372 square metre plot at Gaikwadpada in Ulhasnagar camp 5 as an alternative dumping site.
Although the proposal was introduced to the general body, it was not sanctioned as many of the local corporators opposed it. Without approval, the civic body started dumping waste on the site.
