Uncovered garbage dumps open invitation to diseases

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 22

Children and youngsters usually play football and cricket at a vacant site near the cremation ground of Dhandari Khurd but they are facing a lot of inconvenience due to a huge amount of garbage being dumped near the site. After the recent rainfall, stink emanating from the dump has increased their woes once again as garbage is not lifted on time.

The garbage collectors generally unload the waste from their carts in an open area, residents said. Moreover, the visitors to the cremation ground are also forced to suffer due to the garbage dump.

Lovepreet Singh of Dhandari Khurd said, “It is hard to breathe due to foul smell emanating from the garbage dump. We usually play at the adjoining site. Whenever it rains, the dump creates more nuisance. We want that the civic body should address the matter at the earliest.”

Uncovered garbage dumps (secondary garbage collection points) along roads and improper solid waste management remained a major issue in the city for a long time. The authorities concerned, however, set up waste compactors at some locations but no relief has been provided from open garbage dumps at many other locations in the city. A number of uncovered garbage dumps are giving an open invitation to diseases.

A big garbage dump on road near the cremation ground at Daresi is also being ignored for a long period. Thus, the commuters and visitors to the cremation ground face a lot of inconveniences as waste is dumped on road. Sarabjit Singh Bunty, a Congress leader, said, “Nothing has been done to remove this garbage dump. The elected representatives and politicians have visited this cremation ground many times but they always ignored this garbage dump.”

He questioned the role of the MC for ignoring the garbage dump located at the back of PU Regional Centre near Old Courts Chowk. “It is difficult to breathe due to stink emanating from the garbage dump. The people are suffering due to the negligence of the department concerned. Such garbage dumps should be removed at the earliest.”

The Scooter Sellers’ Market Association has been demanding from the MC to remove the garbage dump, located next to the market under the flyover just near Bhai Chattar Singh Park, for a long time.

When a retaining wall of the Gill Road flyover had collapsed in 2018, the MC had blamed the rats for damaging the wall. An official of the MC had then claimed that the rats used to breed at a garbage dump located under the Gill Road flyover.

A committee, which had conducted an inquiry into the Gill Road flyover incident, had suggested for removal of all the garbage dumps located under or near the flyovers. But, the scooter market garbage dump still exists. A shopkeeper said, “A number of shopkeepers and employees have fallen ill due to unsanitary conditions caused by the dump.”

Residents of Shaheed Bhagat Singh 5 Nagar on Pakhowal Road have also been complaining about the uncovered garbage dump along the railway tracks. The MC had once spent lakhs of rupees to construct a covered garbage collection point at the dumpsite but the structure had collapsed within a short period, as per the sources.

Besides, the open dumps on Gill Road, near Jalandhar Bypass, Chandigarh Road, Tajpur Road and various other locations are crying for attention.

At present, lakhs of metric tonnes of waste has been dumped at the MC’s main garbage dumping site near Kakka village. The waste processing plant is not functioning since a private firm terminated its services. Moreover, the MC has failed to deal with huge heaps of legacy waste that look like hills at the main dumping site, leaving the residents of nearby areas to suffer a lot.

The MC in 2016 had installed the first static compactor near Dugri Bridge. An official of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust said, “The waste compactors at Sarabha Nagar, Maharishi Valimiki Nagar and Kitchlu Nagar have been made functional. Compactors are ready at Lodhi Club Road, near Orient Cinema and Middha Chowk and these will be made functional soon.”

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, said, “Process is underway to install static compactors at various locations under the smart city mission and a few of them are going to be made functional very soon. Compactors will be installed at around 35 sites in the city by the end of this year. A total of 43 compactors are to be installed.”