Deonar dumpyard: BMC bars ragpickers

Deonar landfill was declared a prohibited area, barring entry to ragpickers, after a number of pocket fires in March.

The waste at the Deonar dumping ground may neither be processed nor segregated.

Deonar landfill was declared a prohibited area, barring entry to ragpickers, after a number of pocket fires in March. (File)

Three months after assuring 1,000 ragpickers they would be allowed to resume their jobs at the dumping ground with ID cards, the civic body has cancelled the plan. “There is no plan to allow rag-pickers inside the dumping ground,” said senior civic official.

Deonar landfill was declared a prohibited area, barring entry to ragpickers, after a number of pocket fires in March. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials then had a meeting with the three NGOs working for ragpickers — Apnalaya, Force and Stree Mukti Sanghatana. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had extended his support to the ragpickers.

After the meeting, the civic body gave out registration forms to the ragpickers. The BMC planned to install three biometric devices, with a facial recognition feature, and issue ID cards too. The BMC had suggested introduction of radio frequency identification feature for ragpickers. The civic body had also planned to set up watchtowers and high masts around the 120-hectare ground for increased surveillance.

However, the plan seems to be lost. “We had several meetings, but the BMC is not interested in allowing ragpickers inside the ground. Accordig to the new Central Pollution Control Board guidelines, local authorities are supposed to survey ragpickers and employ them. The BMC is only concentrating on earning money through the incineration plant and not on waste management,” said Jyoti Mhapsekar, of Stree Mukti Sanghatana.

Currently, there are 32 segregation centers in the city. The BMC aims to add 35 more by the end of the year.