7 months on, Ludhiana MC yet to resume Kakka waste processing plant

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 14

A huge amount of waste is being getting collected at the MC’s main garbage dump spread on around 50 acres near Kakka village as the civic body has failed to resume operations of the waste processing plant that is lying closed for the past over seven months,

Traders blame MC for non-lifting of garbage

A shopkeepers’ association blamed the civic body for not lifting the garbage timely from a secondary garbage collection point located near Scooter Market, Ludhiana. Members said it was difficult for commuters to pass through the stretch as garbage was dumped on the road on Tuesday.

Around 1,100 MT of waste is generated daily in the city. It is learnt that over 2.30 lakh MT of waste has been dumped at the site without processing since a private firm, A2Z Group, had terminated its service in February this year.

Residents of Kakka village and MC wards located near the main dumping site are forced to suffer for a long time as the civic body did not take the matter seriously to ensure processing of routine as well as the legacy waste.

To study the solid waste management system, civic body teams have visited Indore, Chennai, Delhi, Rajasthan and Prayagraj (Allahabad) but no concrete steps have been taken to ensure processing of the fresh and legacy waste. Notably, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had earlier also imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 1.8 crore on the MC, Ludhiana, for violating the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Raising questions over the role of successive governments for failing to resolve the dump, AAP leader Daljeet Singh (Bhola) Grewal said: “A large number of people are suffering due to huge collection of waste at the main garbage dump near Kakka village. The successive governments have failed to resolve the issue of the garbage dump, leaving people to suffer a lot. During the rainy season, the situation has turned worse as foul stink emanating from big heaps of garbage troubles residents. The government should wake up and find out a solution. The dump should be shifted away from residential areas.”

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said he would talk to the officials concerned in this regard.