Last week, MCG announced that it will begin processing waste at Daulatabad to ease the load at the Bandhwari landfill
A decision by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to process fresh waste at a site in Daultabad near the Dwarka Expressway has triggered a row, with residents of nearby condominiums protesting against the move and urging the civic body to explore alternative locations for a waste processing facility.
Last week, MCG announced that it will begin processing waste at Daulatabad to ease the load at the Bandhwari landfill, which has long been a source of pollution and health concerns for the locals.
However, on Thursday, residents from at least 30 residential societies along the Dwarka Expressway held a protest against the plan, citing concerns with respect to health, pollution, and groundwater contamination.
“The new waste site will lead to increased pollution, foul odour, and other environmental hazards, degrading the quality of life in the rapidly developing residential hub. We are surprised that MCG has taken a decision to create a garbage dump in the populated zone of Sector 103. This will have a disastrous impact on the environment and on the health of people. I urge the Government to take back this order,” said major general Gajinder Singh of Indiabulls Centrum Park.
Navdeep Singh, a resident of ATS Triumph Sector 104, said that it is grossly irresponsible to establish a centre of pollution surreptitiously. “All societies along the Dwarka Expressway are mandated to be zero-discharge communities, which means that waste from other areas would be unjustly dumped here,” he said.
A group of villagers from Daulatabad said they will not let MCG use the new site for dumping garbage.Sunny Daulatabad, a resident of the village said “We will not allow the MCG to start dumping waste here. This decision poses serious environmental and health risks. We are determined to protect our village.”
Meanwhile, MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that finalising on a waste processing facility has become a challenge because whenever they name a proposed site, nearby residents start protesting.
“We are ready to shift the site, but residents should identify the area where it can be shifted to and tell us. We are open to having a discussion on the same,” said Bangar.
MCG joint commissioner Naresh Kumar said their prime focus is to finalise the site by September, as the site is to be handed over to NTPC. “We have tried to set up processing units at many locations, but each time, there was resistance from locals leading to further delays. Currently, we are dumping waste at the Bhandwari landfill but will soon start the new site,” he said.