If you drive down Kala Patthar Road towards NH-24 in Indirapuram, you will be greeted by a foul smell emanating from the heaps of garbage dumped close to Mahagun Mansion phase I (MM I).
The boundary wall of the residential complex in Indirapuram has become a place for men to urinate in public. Scenes like garbage strewn all around, stray animals, vehicle scrap left unattended and peeing in public have become a common sight here.
The fact that the stretch lies just five kilometres away from Ghazipur landfill has left residents worried whether this will be another dumpyard in making.
“Just like Ghazipur, It will soon turn into a landfill,” said a passerby who was shamelessly urinating at the stretch.
Clearly, the efforts of Swachh Bharat campaign are not showing any results here.
The officials at Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA)—civic amenities’ providing agency in Indirapuram—said that although they make sure that garbage is lifted twice daily from the stretch, they haven’t been able to stop people from throwing trash here. “This is because it mostly happens during the night,” said Manvendra Singh, executive engineer of GDA.
The GDA had even installed eight-feet tall iron board here sometime back displaying National Green Tribunal’s order prohibiting dumping of waste in open and the fine it can incur. However, it hasn’t deterred the offenders.
“People just can’t give up their shameful habit of throwing garbage anywhere,” Singh added.
Meanwhile, the residents of MM I say that the situation has become so bad that the entire place feels uninhabitable.
“The foul odour of piled up garbage and smell of urine have made it impossible for us to walk through this area,” said GC Saxena, president of Apartments Owners Association of MM I. The residents blamed the shops in the area for the mess.
“Restaurants, eateries and hawkers, all dump their garbage here at night. Since GDA contractors collect garbage from high-rises, residents can’t be blamed,” said Abhinav Jain, municipal councilor of the area.
The residents say that the place has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease causing bacteria.
“Not only this, people can be seen openly drinking alcohol here during the night and harassing the women passing by. Many incidents of chain snatching have been reported in the past,” said JK Khosla, a resident of MM I.
The residents suggest that the situation can be easily resolved if the administration agrees to their suggestion of converting the stretch into a paid parking slot. “It will even help resolve the traffic mess created by haphazardly parked vehicles on the road,” said Saxena.
Rejecting the idea, Singh said that it will only add to the traffic jam.
Talking to City Spidey, MLA Sunil Sharma said that he would sort out the issue as early as possible. However, he also dismissed the possibility of constructing a parking space. “It is not a good idea as this is a very busy road,” he added.
