Overflowing garbage raises a stink in parts of Gurugram

Overflowing garbage, attracting flies and emanating a foul smell has become a common sight in the city, with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) not lifting

Overflowing garbage, attracting flies and emanating a foul smell has become a common sight in the city, with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) not lifting waste from the streets in the last week.

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On March 21, in an official communication to all MCG officials, the corporation commissioner had directed the staff to take up all routine works after the COVID-19 lockdown is lifted and to ensure that all basic municipal services such as sanitation, water, sewage, street lights maintenance remain uninterrupted.

MCG officials said that they had taken up the issue of poor collection of waste and the high number of complaints with officials of Ecogreen, MCG’s concessionaire for door-to-door collection of waste, on Thursday.

The residents of sectors 45, 56, 66, and South City 1 on Thursday alleged that garbage collection has been hit amid the lockdown to check the spread of Sars-Cov-2, even as MCG commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh had issued an order to his staff last week that waste collection remains uninterrupted.

“Garbage collectors have not been able to reach some of the blocks as some are being stopped by Gurugram police and not allowed to enter inside. The few that are able to make their way inside are alternating between blocks. We have now assured the vendors that the RWA will issue cards to the collectors. We have also informed Sushant Lok Police station officials who have agreed to let garbage collectors through. We are hoping this will improve the situation,” said Ram Gupta, president of South City Resident Welfare Association.

In sector 45, residents said that waste was lifted only on Thursday morning after a barrage of reminders and requests on social media. “We constantly sent emails to the MCG over the last three days, complaining about the overflowing garbage in our area. We also highlighted this on social media. One of the complaints on social media caught the attention of civic body officials who then finally sent people to lift garbage earlier today (Thursday) after a gap of five days,” said Ravinder Yadav, a resident of sector 45.

Residents living in Emaar Palm Drive in sector 66 said that the MCG has not lifted waste from the garbage collection point located opposite the condominium ever since the lockdown, and there are now huge garbage piles that are not only emitting foul smell but are also helping the breeding of mosquitoes and other insects.

“Such is the volume of garbage that it has started touching the boundary wall of the condominium. Prior to the lockdown, an MCG truck used to lift waste every alternate day. That , however, has not happened in one week. At a time when we are all trying to stay sanitised, the garbage overflowing has become a serious cause of concern. We even tried to contact the number of three sanitation officials listed on the MCG’s official website. None of them have responded so far,” said Manmeet Kumar, a resident of Emaar Palm Drive.

MCG officials said that they had taken up the issue of poor collection of waste and the high number of complaints with officials of Ecogreen, MCG’s concessionaire for door-to-door collection of waste, on Thursday.

“The matter of poor waste collection has been taken up with officials of Ecogreen, earlier (today) Thursday. Waste will be lifted from all sites from where complaints are received within the next 24 hours,” said Ambika Prasad, sanitary officer.

Ecogreen officials said that all their vehicles and manpower have been operating, despite the lockdown. “All our garbage collection vehicles are sanitised every day and have been operating around the clock. All our staff members have also been reporting for duty on a daily basis. We have been regularly lifting waste from all parts of the city, barring those houses that have been put under quarantine by the health department,” said an official spokesperson for Ecogreen.