Noida: Resident body of Jal Vayu Vihar forms dedicated group for elderly

To provide moral and emotional support to the aged people living without their kin, the resident body of Jal Vayu Vihar, societies located in Sector 21 and 25, has formed a team named 'JVV Elder Care Group'.

This dedicated group organised its first meeting on April 28, the day it was formed and decided that a meeting will be held every Sunday at the decided venue in this regard.

Residents from different sectors across the city pledged to provide maximum support and care to the elderly living in these societies.



Commodore (retired) Narendra Mahajan, who is also resident of Jal Vayu Vihar told City Spidey, “Senior citizens often require physical and moral assistance, especially when their kin are outstation. The newly-formed team and its members will make sure they get proper medical facilities – be it accompanying them to the hospital or buying medicines. Besides, they will be accompanied by the members of the group to the social events taking place in the community hall of a particular sector.”

A similar initiative has been taken by the youngsters from different high-rise apartments for the elderly across Sector-137 of the city. They invite elderly people to a nearby park situated in the sector to indulge in various activities. Besides, snacks are offered to them while they discuss their personal and society-related problems in order to resolve them.

Gurugram Ardee City: Builder told to refund excess collected in power bills

In a move that will promote transparency and accountability in matters related to electricity supply and billing process in housing societies located in Gurugram, the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has directed Ardee Infrastructure Private Limited (AIPL) to refund the charges it had collected under the ‘administrative/service’ head in electricity bills between 2003 and 2018 to the residents of Ardee City.

Though the order is dated for April 11, the residents (who are also petitioners in the case) said that they received the directive last week.

The residents said they had filed a petition with the HERC in August 2017, asserting that the builder has been charging them an excess of 12% of the total electricity bill per month under the head ‘administrative/service charges,’ which is a violation of the HERC rules.

“We have been fighting against these wrongful charges against the builder for a long time and finally our efforts have been rewarded. When we had filed this petition, there was no RWA in the society. In fact, we had collected funds from the residents to fight this case,” said Chaitali Mandhotra, a resident of Ardee City who is keenly involved in RWA work of the society.

Her husband, Nihal Mandhotra, worked along with other residents on the petition and is presently working as general secretary of RWA of Ardee City.

Earlier in April 2016, the residents had taken the matter to the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), who had also taken cognizance of the irregularity and instructed AIPL to not charge anything above the prescribed tariff.

The HERC order reads, “As a reaction to the letter from the office of DHBVN, Gurgaon, AIPL started charging the 12% excess amount as ‘Upkeep Charges of HT Lines, Transmission/Commercial Losses’ effective July 2016.”

The order further stated, “The commission directs AIPL to follow the various provisions of HERC and refund the amount overcharged in electricity billing cycles, failing which appropriate proceedings under the terms of Section 142 of the Electricity Act, 2003 shall be initiated.”

“We are not lawyers but we still managed to fight against this injustice. How the amount will be refunded needs to be seen but at least it will be,” added Mandhotra.

“In July 2019, DHBVN had provided us with direct individual electricity connections and we were finally out of the builder’s clutches. And now this order calls for double celebrations,” said Mandhotra.

After rejection of NBCC's bid, Jaypee Infratech home buyers blame foul play

Following the rejection of bid by lenders, the homebuyers of various projected of Jaypee Infratech, are in a state of confusion as they were favouring the state-owned NBCC and they alleged that the government authorities delayed the required approvals deliberately. 

In a meeting held on April 26, a Committee of Creditors (CoC) had rejected the NBCC's bid citing the reason that it was subject to approval from various government authorities. 

The NBCC failed to receive approvals from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management as well as from the Ministry of Urban and Housing Affairs.

Meanwhile, the state-owned NBCC has requested the Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) to consider its offer of acquiring Jaypee Infratech on merit.

According to sources present in the CoC meeting which was presided by IRP Anuj Jain, the NBCC confirmed that it has not received the requisite approvals. It was also stated that they can not assure whether the approval will be received and if received what conditions it might carry.

Further, considering that Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) period to end on May 6, the CoC decided that no more extension of time is possible. The CoC has unanimously decided to put the Suraksha Resolution Plan to vote. The voting will commence at 9 am on April 30 and will end by 5 pm on May 2.

However, NBCC had asked for some time to get necessary approvals in the meeting.

Home buyers, who have given first preference to the NBCC calling it more trustworthy, said that they are now confused as the NBCC, which was frontrunner, has now very less chance of acquiring Jaypee Infratech.

Devendra Yadav, a home buyer talking to City Spidey said, “NBCC was first preference of home buyers and we had high hopes from it but now it seems that the government authorities delayed approval to NBCC deliberately.”

“We are shocked that Suraksha’s resolution plan, which was rejected by the IRP in 2018, was accepted this time with some modifications,” Yadav added.

It is to be noted that NBCC is also presently completing some projects of Amrapali group on the direction of the Supreme Court.

During the meeting, NBCC reasoned that its offer is in interest of the bankers and home buyers.

After the rejection, the NBCC has written a letter to IRP Anuj Jain expressing interest in acquisition of Jaypee Infratech and said that its resolution plan should be considered on merit.

The NBCC has also claimed that it can work in the direction of providing relief to over 20,000 home buyers.

Among others, Adani Group and Jaypee Group have expressed desire to bid for the Jaypee Infratech.

Jaypee Group had written to home buyers seeking their support for its debt resolution plan to be submitted under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

“There is no clarity for the home buyers on why Suraksha resolution proposal was rejected last year and the same was accepted now. At this stage, when preferred NBCC seems out of race, home buyers are at a state of confusion. We are also disappointed with the government that despite after so many years, we are yet to get our homes,” said Pramod Kumar, another home buyer.

In the mean time, sources told City Spidey that Jaypee group is trying with every possible effort to convince home buyers to support it.

BREAKING: Police arrest accused who murdered Wing Commander’s wife at Dwarka

Dwarka police on Monday evening arrested the accused in the case of murder and robbery at Air Force Naval Officers Enclave in Dwarka.

Wife of a retired Wing Commander, Meenu Jain (52), was found dead at her flat in Air Force Naval Officers Enclave on April 26. She was wife of Vinod Kumar Jain who is a Wing Commander in Indian Air Force. The body was found in the room with stains of blood on the bed and pillow.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Rajendra Singh, informed that the accused, Dinesh Dixit (56 years), is a resident of Jaipur in Rajasthan.

Police recovered cash, jewellery and a Maruti Desire car which was used by accused to enter the society. During preliminary investigation, the accused disclosed that he had been in contact of the deceased for last several months. He had visited the deceased at her residence many times.

Police said that the accused accepted that he visited the society on the afternoon of April 25 and he was there till next day’s morning. The accused accepted that he smothered the victim and robbed the articles before fleeing away to Jaipur.

Corporations plan to set up two new waste plants in Gurugram, Faridabad

After receiving a rap from Haryana chief secretary for the mismanagement of the Bandhwari waste treatment plant, the municipal corporations of Gurgaon and Faridabad have proposed to establish two new landfills and waste treatment plants in both the cities.

As per a report published in TOI, the two sites proposed are – one in Pali-Mohabatabad (located in Aravallis and surrounded by forests and water bodies) and the second is located between Farrukhnagar and Sohna.

However, the proposal has met with strong opposition from environmentalists. They are of the view that establishing two more waste-dumping grounds in eco-sensitive Aravalis will only add to environmental degradation. It will further increase the levels of air and water pollution in the city.

Speaking on the issue, MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav said, “The Pali-Mohabatabad site has already been marked as solid waste management site in the Faridabad Master Plan. Also, a site can be allocated between Farrukhnagar and Sohna for waste generated in new sectors of Gurgaon.”

Meanwhile, environmentalists opposing the move said that having more landfills is not a solution for the current mess. It is mere eyewash to misguide National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the public,” said Vivek Kamboj, who filed a petition in the NGT over reallocation of the Bandhwari waste treatment plant.

Taking note of the petition, NGT had directed the chief secretary to intervene and take stringent action against the officials responsible for the situation at Bandhwari. Following this, the chief secretary had pulled up the two corporations.

“This is a very bad idea. If the corporation plans to go ahead with the idea of dumping waste in the Aravalis, we will strongly protest against it. This is an extremely insensible and insensitive proposal that will only further harm the environment and we will not let this happen,” said Jitender Bhadana, a conservationist from Save Aravali, an environmental NGO.

Aggrieved Jaypee home buyers to approach NBCC after rejection of bid

With rejection of the National Building Construction Company’s (NBCC) resolution proposal to acquire Jaypee Infratech housing projects by Committee of Creditors (CoC) last week, aggrieved flat buyers have planned to approach NBCC to understand future course of action.

“We have planned to meet NBCC for some clarifications in the issue. We were believing that NBCC’s resolution plan will be considered but it was not considered for voting by CoC members due to some pending approvals. We will be holding a meeting of all home buyers for unanimous decision on any further action,” sources said.

Meanwhile, the NBCC has written a letter to Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) Anuj Jain on Monday and has asserted that as approvals are expected shortly, it is requested that some time will be given to obtain the necessary approvals before the voting.

In its letter, the NBCC has expressed its disappointment for not allowing time to obtain required approvals. “This appeal was made on the basis of the fact that CoC meeting being held just two days after the submission of plan and there was not enough time to inform the CoC regarding the status of government approval,” NBCC’s letter read.

The CoC on April 26 rejected the NBCC’s resolution plan as the state-owned construction company failed to receive necessary approvals from government departments.

All these development have come amid three days e-voting on the bid of Suraksha Realty-led consortium which begins on Tuesday (April 30). Suraksha Realty remained the only bidder in the fray after bankers rejected state-owned NBCC’s bids.

In another development in this issue, sources claimed that deft-ridden Jaypee Infratech’s lead lender IDBI has on Monday approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) seeking extension of insolvency proceedings beyond the May 6 deadline as the process is still underway to find a buyer of Jaypee Infratech projects. The NCLT has posted the matter on May 6 for the next hearing.

Jaypee Infratech: IRP extends time for voting on bid of Suraksha Realty

Considering the issues with the e-voting portal, the Interim Resolution Professional on Tuesday extended the time for voting on the bid of Suraksha Realty which is the only bidder in the fray to acquire Jaypee Infratech. The voting time has now been extended up to 12 pm on May 3.

Earlier, the period for three-day voting was from 9 am on April 30 to 5 pm on May 2. The decision to extend time for e-voting has come after home buyers complained that e-voting portal www.jaypeeinfratech.in was not working properly.  

“Soon after the voting started, many home buyers complained about issues with the e-voting portal. The message was conveyed to the appointed IRP Anuj Jain. Later, we received a message from IRP team that voting time has been extended till 12 pm on May 3 against May 2,” said Devendra Yadav, a flat buyer.

After the rejection of National Buildings Construction Corporation's (NBCC) bid, Suraksha Realty is the only bidder left for acquisition of Jaypee Infratech.

During the first round of insolvency proceedings, the lenders had rejected the Rs 7,350 crore bid of Lakshdeep which was part of the Suraksha Group. The lenders had reasoned that the amount was substantially lower than company's net worth and assets.

Huge water wastage in I’puram as broken pipeline floods roads

Last year, a NITI Ayog report had suggested that India is on a brink of a severe water crisis with as many as 600 million people facing “acute water shortage.” While the report had asked everyone to do their bit to save this precious resource, authorities in Indirapuram seem to be least bothered about it.

Gallons of potable drinking water is wasted every day on a 400-metres long stretch in the township as the pipeline supplying Ganga Jal is broken at many places causing leakage and waterlogging in the surrounding areas.

The residents told City Spidey that the pipeline between Swarna Jayanti Park Road and the backyard of ATS Advantage (a high rise in Indirapuram) has been leaking from three points for more than five months now.

“Utter wastage of thousands of litres of potable drinking water happens every day here. But no action has been taken to stop this wastage,” said Shekhar Vikas, secretary of Apartments Owners Association (AOA) of ATS.

For a couple of hours during the day when water supply takes place, water is continuously jetting out of the broken points, spilling on the road forming a streamlet by the roadside. The spillage covers the entire cycling track of the road.

“Motorists find it difficult to drive as the road becomes narrow but the worst affected are cyclists as they face the threat of skidding,” added Shekhar.

The severe wastage of water has been going on unchecked at a time when the administration has failed to provide Ganga Jal to many parts of Ghaziabad including Raj Nagar Extension. Residents in those areas are dependent on groundwater which is depleting with each passing day.

When City Spidey contacted RP Singh, Ghaziabad Development Authority's chief of Indirapuram, he informed that the pipeline in question belongs to Jal Nigam in Ghaziabad.

“We have received complaints from the residents about the broken pipeline and apprised Jal Nigam about the situation,” said Singh.

Rajeev Kumar, junior engineer of GDA in Indirapuram, blamed Jal Nigam for not resolving the matter. “They have been informed about the situation many times by us but still nothing has been done to resolve it. Their callousness is wasting thousands of litres of water and is also weakening the strength of the road,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, the residents said that the continuous waterlogging has led to the development of craters on the road.

The water pipeline carrying Ganga Jal comes from the water treatment plant in Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad. The water is then stored in underground reservoir in Niti Khand and is further supplied by Jal Nigam to the colonies looked after by the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam.

City Spidey tried to contact executive engineer of supply department of Jal Nigam but the calls went unanswered.

The only silver lining of the breakage is the sight of slum dwellers who gather at the leakage points during water supply hours so as to collect water to be used for their daily chores.

But this in no way justifies the sheer wastage of public money and the precious resource.

Noida: Multipurpose hall in Sector 137 likely soon!

Good news for all the residents, especially kids as a multipurpose hall is likely to come up soon in Sector 137 of the city.

Being a long-pending demand, people across the sector proposed the development of the hall to the district magistrate (DM), Gautam Buddh Nagar, following which he forwarded residents' request to the department concerned of the state.

Shilpi Pandey, deputy director with the Prantiya Rakshak Dal wrote a letter to the Department of Youth Welfare (UP) in this regard.

“The department should consider the letter given by Vinod Kumar, under secretary (Govt of India) in which he has instructed that a proposal report for construction of a multi-purpose hall in Sector 137 should be submitted to the state government,” Pandey added.

She further said that besides, the department of sport in urban India, this facility can be developed under Central Govt's 'Khelo India' programme.

Talking to City Spidey on the subject, Abhist Gupta, a resident of the sector said, “The population here is increasing as vacant flats are being occupied by the respective owners in various societies. Though there are small halls for kids to play, a dedicated space like a multipurpose hall for the purpose of playing indoor games and social gathering is currently not available. We hope that it is built as soon as possible so that people do not have to travel far for sporting activities and events.”

Sector 137 of Noida has more than 10 big societies where over 50,000 people reside.

Dwarka's Shubham Srivastava gets AIR 1 in JEE Main Exam 2019

Shubham Srivastava, a resident of Sector 22 in Dwarka, has become topper in the JEE Main Exam 2019. He secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 by scoring 360 marks out of 360 in the exam.  

Srivastava is from FIITJEE Centre's classroom programme at Dwarka. 

In a press conference organised at FIITJEE, it was informed that Srivastava is a student of two years classroom programme at Dwarka.

He had also performed excellently in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and Astronomy Olympiads.

Srivastava is son of Anup Kumar who is an Air India employee. Her mother, Ruchi, is a homemaker.

During a talk with media, Srivastava said, “I feel relieved and motivated to have scored well to clear JEE Main Exam 2019. I was confident to score well. I am not celebrating yet as I have to return to my studies and keep my focus on JEE Advanced. I do not want to leave any stone unturned in order to do better in JEE Advanced.”

His teachers and parents said that Srivastava was a brilliant and very disciplined student. His father said that he always helped his son in doing practice for the exams. 

Kumar said that he always freed him for recreational activities including sports. He added that he always knew that his son would do well but getting 360 out of 360 was surprising.

GreNo West: Residents file complaint against breakdown of lift at Cherry County

Following the explosion of the hydrant landing valve which affected the lift operations for nearly 48 hours at Cherry County at Greater Noida West, the residents have complained against the builder at the Bisrakh police station.

The hydrant landing valve was exploded at 19th floor of Tower B4 which resulted in water flowing down along with debris and glass pieces to the below floors and service lifts.

After this incident, there was also a free fall of service lift from 6th to 5th floor while it was occupied by 3 ladies and kids.

People, living in high rise, were dearly affected by the closing of lift operations. They complained about a lot of inconvenience to people living on upper floors of the tower. The management was unable to fix the problem early. They took 48 hours to rectify the problem.

Pradeep Rai, one of the residents said, “Lift service resumed today but it was too late and it was done after several residents sit on protest at management office last night. We raised alarm soon after lift got stuck. Many people, who were unable to use stairs, waited for hours at society’s club.”

The residents also alleged serious security evasion by the builder in its agreement with the OTIS Lift Service provider. The main cause of the big delay was unavailability of the backup spare parts of the lift.

In the complaint, the residents have pointed out absence of emergency exit plan measure. They have also complained about carelessness on the part of the builder as they had not conducted any drills to prepare for such kind of calamity.

Apart from the lift failure, the residents were also hassled by the flow of water on the stairs. They had no option but to use stairs after lift failure and they found it very difficult to commute to and from their apartments.

The lack of definition for turnaround time (TAT) for fixture of such kind of issues by the builder was another issue that was raised by the residents. The residents said in the complaint that fire safety audit reports should also be shared by the builders.

They also demanded for proper escalation matrix to deal with such kind of emergency situations.

Sunil Sachdev, another resident said, “I won’t say that services are poor in the society but this incident surprised me as management did not turn up as quick as they were required. In a 29-storey building where 174 families are living, lift is an essential service. People were greatly hassled. I hope it would not be repeated and the management would take the issue on priority.”

Sunita Kangra takes charge as new SDMC Mayor; lists priorities

Sunita Kangra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Councillor from Madipur ward, has been elected as the new Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). Kangra was elected unanimously for this post in the house meeting held on Friday.

Graduate from Delhi University and an active member of the BJP for the last two decades, Sunita Kangra had assumed the position of secretary in the Delhi Mahila Morcha and at the district level. Besides, she was elected from Madipur ward as BJP nominee in 2017 elections.

Another BJP Councillor from Kakrola ward, Raj Datt Gehlot, has been elected unanimously as Deputy Mayor of the SDMC. Councillor Narendra Chawla, Bhupendra Gupta from BJP and Ved Pal from Congress have been elected as members of the Standing Committee.

Immediately after assuming the post, Mayor Sunita Kangra listed her priorities, stating that she would work to improve sanitation, expansion of education facilities including quality education in schools and tackle the problem of parking in the city. Pointing out the fact that challenges are growing in Delhi with urbanisation, she stressed upon the need of making Swachhata a result-oriented effort. She added the shortage of sanitation employees will be taken care and efforts will be made to overcome the shortage.

Answering a question related to financial difficulties in the corporation, the newly-elected Mayor stated that during 2018-19, properties tax collection witnessed substantial hike as it reached 944 crore rupees. It is expected the collection will cross 1000 crore during the next financial year. "We all will work together to provide modern amenities in SDMC localities," Kangra concluded.

Wing Commander’s wife found dead at flat in Dwarka

A Wing Commander’s wife was found dead at her flat at Air Force Naval Officers Enclave in Sector 7, Dwarka on Friday. As per police, name of the deceased is Meenu Jain who was 52 years old.

She was wife of Vinod Kumar Jain who is Wing Commander at Indian Air Force. Her body was found with stains of blood inside a room at their flat.

Police has started the investigation from all angles.

One of the residents said that a relative of the deceased was calling her continuously on Friday but she was not picking the phone.

After some time, police was informed. They broke the door of the flat and entered the flat. When they entered the flat, they saw the dead body lying there.

Noida Authority orders enquiry against Supertech Capetown

The Chief Executive Officer of Noida Authority, Alok Tandon on Friday ordered an enquiry against Supertech Capetown over alleged violation of rules in the society.

CEO constituted a committee headed by RK Singh, officer on special duty. The committee was asked to carry out inspection of the society. They have been told to submit a report within a period of week.

The action was taken after a delegation of Apartment Owners Association (AoA) met the CEO on April 26. They registered a complaint against the society developers.

KK Sharma, Secretary of AoA, complained that the developer allegedly sold common spaces which were meant for all residents of the society. He said that the developer went against originally approved layout for parking lots in the society.

According to the original plan, the authority approved parking lots having capacity to accommodate 4,940 cars at a time. But it has been changed. The developer has allegedly sold parking lots where 7,100 cars can be accommodated.

Sharma complained that they have done this by selling spaces, originally earmarked for streets within the society. These streets have narrowed down causing huge inconvenience for residents.

It also came to the knowledge of City Spidey that officials from the AoA have invited residents to cooperate in producing legal papers against sales of common spaces for accommodating cars in the society.

NCR residents' body demands advancement of metro start time in morning

The federation of residents welfare associations of NCR demanded early start of metro services from various places in the Delhi-NCR area.

They reasoned that there are many trains which depart from the New Delhi railway station early in the morning and people having booking in those trains face difficulties in reaching station.

They said that the problem can be easily sorted out by advancing the start time of metro operations. Federation of RWAs wrote to chairman of DMRC, Mangu Singh, seeking his attention towards the inconvenience faced by early morning commuters.

It said that there are no public transport services connecting New Delhi station from cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Dwarka that can be availed for reaching there during early morning hours.

The federation suggested that it would be better if the metro trains start departing early so that passengers could catch the trains for places like Lucknow, Agra and cities in Punjab.

P S Jain, president of the body, said that commuters have been using their personal vehicles to reach New Delhi station to avoid exorbitant fare collected by private taxi operators and autos drivers. They also face parking issues at the railway station.

He added that it would be very convenient for the commuters if DMRC considers this demand and make arrangements for early morning start of metro trains.

Regalia Heights: On top of fire agony, people forced to face heat without power

After the incident of fire at Regalia Heights, the residents were forced to live without power supply as long as eleven hours on Friday. The residents had to spend the time without electricity in muggy weather as power backup was also unavailable because of burning of electric cables. 

The residents including elderly people and children faced a lot of inconvenience in the scorching summer heat. The power was cut off around 11.45 am when the fire happened and it was only reinstated by 10:45 pm.

“If the management could have done proper maintenance of electricity system, then such kind of situation would not have come,” residents said.

The cause of fire was spark in the wires of the electric shaft of the building on Friday. The spark happened just above the false ceiling of the shops in the basement. The presence of waste in the false ceiling and dilapidated state of the wires added to the mess and soon, they caught fire, whose flames went up to first floor of the tower.

Residents call for root cause analysis in aftermath of fire

The residents blamed that it is negligence on part of the developer. They also complained that even after paying money, the resident have to suffer half a day without electricity, courtesy poor maintenance by Shipra Estate Limited (SEL), the developer.

“Imagine, a high-rise resident, who has invested close to a crore of money to lead a comfortable life, had to spend half of the day without electricity,” a resident said.

The electromechanical maintenance of the society is looked after by the developer, residents told.

“Builder charges approximately 1.6 lakh from the tower in the name of maintenance of electromechanical system, fire system and submersible pumps,” claimed members of Regalia Heights Residents Association (RHRA).

“And this is excluding the maintenance charge which is collected by 135 shops operating in the basement. If it is added, it would amount to several lakhs,” they added.

Residents also said that the problem will keep cropping up if it is not addressed from its root. “The fire turned electric wires into ashes. The developer replaced those damaged wires with the new ones and the power got restored. This is just dealing an issue at its face value whereas the problem exists much deeper,” commented Kaushik Ghosh, a member of RHRA.

“You have installed costly equipments but if you can't spend a small amount on its maintenance, it would falter someday,” Ghosh added.

However, this is not the first time that residents of Regalia have faced utter apathy of SEL. “During the summers of 2018, an incident related to electricity had happened,” RHRA claimed.

“For five straight days, our building was on power backup after the transformer which supplied power to tower smouldered,” said GM Nigam, ex-president of the society.

Even after charging money in return of maintenance, SEL had put the onus of replacement of the transformer, which costs several lakhs, on the residents, they claimed. “We had to write to DM, whose intervention, compelled SEL to replace the transformer,” Nigam added.

City Spidey contacted SEL multiple times to get their version on the story but our repeated calls and messages went unanswered.

15 animal laws that each one of us should be aware of!

There are several laws to protect human rights and we are aware of it but do we actually know any such thing about animals? Here are 15 basic laws which should be read, understood and followed by each one of us.

Numero Uno

1. Being the citizens of India, it is our fundamental duty to have compassion for all living creatures.

Don't kill or maim!

2. Not many of us might know but it is a punishable offence to kill or maim any animal, including strays. According to Section 428 and 429, there is a provision to charge violators Rs 50 and above and imprison for a term that might be extended up to 5 years.

Pets 'abandoned'

3. Abandoning a pet animal is also an offence punishable by law. According to Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960 under Section 11 (1)(i) and 11(1)(j), a maximum jail term of 3 months will be awarded to the wrongdoers.

Slaughter but only in 'house'

4. According to Rule 3 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughterhouse) Rules, 2001 and Chapter 4, Food Safety and Standard Regulations 2011 - the slaughtering of animals, including chicken in any other place other than recognised or licensed slaughterhouse is a criminal offence. Besides, it is illegal to slaughter sick or pregnant animals.

Relocation of stray dogs

5. According to the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules 2001, strays that have been operated for the birth control cannot be captured or relocated by any person or authorities but specific groups. They have been assigned to capture them for the purpose of sterilisation. Strays must be released later as well.

Denial and neglect

6.Neglecting an animal by denying her sufficient food, water, shelter and exercise or by keeping him chained or confined for long hours is punishable. According to Section 11(1)(h), PCA Act, 1960, there is a provision of fine or imprisonment of up to 3 months or both.

Owning monkeys and parakeets? Beware!

7.Animals like monkeys and parakeets are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Therefore, it is illegal and punishable to keep them as pets.

Training animals for entertainment purposes? No way!

8. According to Section 22(ii), PCA Act 1960, animals such as monkeys, tigers, bears, lions, bulls are prohibited from being trained and used for the purpose of entertainment in circuses as well as the streets.

Animal sacrifice – Illicit!

9.The practice of animal sacrifices is illegal in every part of the country. Violation could lead to punishment under Rule 3 of the Slaughterhouse Rules, 2001.

‘Animal fights’ against the law

10.Not only just organizing but even inciting or taking part in any kind of animal fights is a definite violation of the Indian Constitution. Violation could lead to a punishment under the Section 11(1)(m)(ii) and Section 11(1)(n) of the PCA Act of 1960.

Cosmetics testing, import prohibited

11. According to Rules 148-C and 135-B of Drugs & Cosmetics Rules 1945, the cosmetics tested on animals and its import is completely banned.

Even animals need ‘space’

12. Like humans, animals too have all the rights to breathe, eat, drink and sleep. Teasing, feeding or disturbing them in a zoo are punishable offences. Besides, littering too in the premises may invite a penalty of Rs 25000 or imprisonment of up to 3 years or both as per Section 38J, Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Don’t mess with the wild ones!

13. According to the Section 9 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, disturbing or destroying eggs or nests of birds and reptiles or chopping a tree having nests of such birds and reptiles or even attempting to do so constitutes to hunting and attracts a punishment of a fine of up to Rs. 25000 or imprisonment of up to 7 years or both.

Captivity is a crime

14. It is illegal and punishable by law to capture, cage, own, keep in captivity or sell birds including munias, mynahs, bulbuls and other species.

Transportation and Confinement

15.According to Section 11(1)(d) Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (Transport of Animal) Rules, 2001 and Motor Vehicles Act 1978, conveying or carrying animals whether in or upon any vehicle, in any manner or position which causes discomfort, pain or suffering is a punishable offence. Besides, confining hens in battery cages is a violation according to the act.

Expert's views

Talking to City Spidey on the subject, president of People For Animals (PFA) Ghaziabad chapter, Sumedha Iyer said, ”We humans have become so selfish that we just cannot stand or tolerate anyone! Animals become our easiest targets.”

“The police is reluctant to act on laws for the welfare of animals in spite of us acting as a pressure group. In many cases, the police scares the victims who feel harassment for feeding the animals,” she added.

Iyer further stated, “I have been particularly writing to the government bodies since long to plant Krishna vat or krishna cycas which attracts monkeys it will solve the problem of monkey menace in residential areas but till now, nobody has even thought of doing it.”

Talking about banned drugs and slaughtering, the PFA chief said,”Drugs like oxytocin are easily available in the market which are used by dairy owners to increase the quantity of milk are not only harmful for animals but humans. We have saved many camels from being slaughtered on Eid as well.”

On asking her the steps required to be taken to contain and stop such acts, she replied,”The judicial and police system need to get strict because as long as we do not have stringent laws, these kind of violation will continue to take place.”

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she concluded, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Dwarka hit-and-run: Biker injured, SUV driver flees scene

In a hit-and-run incident, a biker was hit by a speeding SUV at Dwarka's Lovely Chowk (Sector 5) on Sunday. Eyewitnesses said the accident took place around 12 pm.

The car, after hitting the bike, lost its balance and crossed the footpath, service lane and barged into the triangular patch, located at the corner of the intersection, breaking the boundary wall.

According to police, the biker got injured in the crash whereas the driver of the SUV and others, who were in the car, fled from the spot after the mishap occurred. The biker was immediately taken to the nearby hospital of the sub-city.

"A case has been registered at Dwarka South Police Station and a probe has been initiated in this regard," police said.

According to Ravi Singh, one of the onlookers on the spot, the collision was so strong that the biker was up in the air for few seconds, colliding twice with the SUV. The person who took the injured to the hospital said the victim was in conscious state and talking.

Talking about the incident, people residing nearby this intersection pointed out this particular spot had witnessed many collisions like this in the past as commuters can be often seen violating traffic rules. Vishal Gupta, a resident of Lovely Home Apartments, stressed that cops should get more strict with the prosecution of people jumping the red light in order to avoid such mishaps.

"It is an intersection where vehicles from Ashirvad Chowk and the Rajpuri Market merge. So often, the vehicles here move fast and as a result, commuters jump the red light. There must be a proper mechanism to check the speed and prosecute the violators," Gupta concluded.

Noida: AOA chiefs of Mahagun Moderne summoned for expelling office-bearers

The president and the secretary of the apartment owners’ association (AOA) of Mahagun Moderne, a high-rise in Noida Sector 78, have been summoned for expelling four office-bearers following their objections against commercial events being allowed to take place within the society premises.

The said members, expelled last week, were forcefully removed from the executive committee after they moved registrar cooperative society and appellate authority to challenge the decision made by the AOA.

On receiving complaints from the expelled members – Santosh Mathur, Indrani Mukherjee, Rahul Sagar Sahay and HD Gupta - the district assistant registrar, cooperative society ordered them to put forth their views within three days before the appellate authority.

“We received a complaint from the officer-bearers stating they were forcefully removed from the executive committee which is a violation according to society’s bye-laws. Therefore, the respondents have been asked to present their side before us by April 29, i.e. Monday. Besides, they have to explain what procedures were followed while removing them from the panel,” the authority said.

Meanwhile, the AOA cited that expelled four members' attendance percentage was less than that of other five office-bearers. This is the reason they were removed from the executive committee.

Speaking to City Spidey about the issue, one of the complainants Sahay said, “We are against commercial events taking place in the society. Even residents in large numbers have protested against it. But rather than providing relief to the residents from these events, the AOA went against the office-bearers and removed us from the executive panel. We have challenged this decision."

U'khand cultural fest celebrated with traditional gaiety in Dwarka

It was a 'Super Sunday' for the people belonging to the Uttarakhand community, residing in Dwarka and other parts of Delhi as thousands of them gathered to witness and celebrate the state's cultural festival called 'Kauthig'. The fest, organised by the Uttarakhand Lok Manch, was held in Sector 13's DDA ground.

Colourful bougainvillea has a new address in Dwarka

Till recently the vacant land near Sector 19 in Dwarka, which was frequently used to dump garbage, was an eyesore for the passersby. But soon the place will be transformed into a colourful address for a variety of Bougainvillea.  

The initiative of Horticulture Department of DDA, Dwarka, to turn this abandoned area into a scenic community space has already started showing results. According to the officials, 7,000 plants of various varieties of Bougainvillea have been planted and more will follow.

The garden presently has about 45 different species of woody climber. Some unique additions include species with more than one colour in the same plant. “This is probably the first Bougainvillea Garden in Delhi. We are happy that we were given an opportunity to develop something so unique in Dwarka,” said an official.

In the next phase, beautification and landscaping work would be done. The garden will also have walking tracks, sitting arrangements and decorative lighting for visitors.

Nature lovers welcomed the initiative, saying it will be a much needed reprieve in the days of rapid urbanisation. “I recently visited the place and loved the entire experience. Though the plants are small yet I could imagine how beautiful they will grow up to be if taken care of,” said Madhu Dagar from Crescent Apartments in Sector 18A.

PK Datta, an environment activist and resident of Nishat Apartments in Sector 19B, said that the garden would be an asset for the sub city. “It will not only add to the greenery and beauty but will also help the community learn about such plants. This is a wonderful effort.”

Dwarka voters list out issues ahead of polling in general elections

It has been local issues for the people of Dwarka to vote in municipal and legislative polls. General elections are not an exception.

Considered as planned sub-city by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), residents across the area have been struggling with issues related to sanitation, infra, environment, and others. They stated these were the issues for them in the past and are at present as well.

Though the leaders claim they have worked for the development of the sub-city, residents feel there are still some perennial issues which need to be resolved and they will make sure those are taken care of post the elections.

Talking on the subject, Rejimon CK, an RTI activist and member of Dwarka Forum said, “Almost 90 per cent of Dwarka is under DDA's jurisdiction. The said authority comes under Central Government, so the member of parliament is responsible for the works carried out by the DDA. I would like to say that nothing has been done so far under his supervision. Despite the court's order to evacuate road in Dabri area, DDA is yet to resolve the issue. Therefore, voters across Dwarka will keep this in mind while casting their vote on May 12.”

Besides, issues related to sanitation are a major concern for the voters across the sub-city ahead of polling.

Rakesh Kalsi from Vinayak Apartments (Sector 10) said, “It is disappointing that despite several promises and initiatives, nothing substantial has happened on this front. Community composting is still a big failure and waste management is nowhere to be seen on the ground. So, this is a key issue which will influence voters in the region.”

In addition to this, people across Dwarka have complained that there is a lack of internal transport system. Being a long-pending issue, it was never addressed in a serious manner, residents stated.

Ramesh Mumukshu, a resident of Sector 16B said, “I travel in DTC buses but the options are very limited here in Dwarka. The department concerned should think upon it as many internal sectors are still deprived of accessing the city due to lack of internal transport system.”

Environment-related matters are also a major concern for Dwarkaites. They have been keeping a close watch on the activities and initiatives taken by the central and state government to develop and making the area green and clean. People expect a concrete, actionable plan in return for their valuable votes.

“Political parties and leaders have been least concerned with this subject. So, we want a representative who is environmentally conscious. The state of pollution in Delhi is known to all. So, one who promises to provide us with the best solution will get our votes,” said P Bhel, ex-president of RWA (Sector 8).

GreNo: Traffic public address system restarts at Pari Chowk

A public address system related to traffic management, which was non-functional for last few months, was made operational near Pari Chowk at Greater Noida on Friday. It was an initiative of a group of active residents who wanted to smoothen vehicular movement in the vicinity.

Witnessing day-to-day traffic snarls, wrong side driving and random parking, the residents had installed loud speakers to manage the situation. It was also connected to the Pari Chowk police station.

“It helps traffic police in making any announcement to the vehicle drivers in case of violations. Traffic police get access of the present situation through CCTV footages. They also make announcements from police stations,” said Harender Bhati, a resident from the area.

It was serving its purpose until electricity wire connecting the loud speakers was disconnected by unidentified persons. Now, a group of active citizens, who had introduced the idea, made it operational again by fixing the problem.

GreNo: Frequent burglaries despite security system cause panic among residents

Two cases of burglary in broad daylight have put residents in feeling of anxiety at Fusion Homes Society in Greater Noida West. The burglaries have happened despite the fact that high rise societies have a system of security in place.

The thieves broke into the flats by breaking the doors while the couples had gone to their offices. When they came back from offices, they got to know about the incident.

The victims immediately informed the police about the incident. During their investigation, police found CCTV cameras, installed in the society, in defunct state. Both the couples lost big amount of money and jewellery in the incident.

People are pointing to the loopholes in the security system. They suspect callousness on the part of the security personnel deployed at the apartment.

Prateek Gupta, whose flat is on 13th floor, lost Rs 50,000 cash and jewelleries worth Rs 4 lakh whereas Pradeep Gupta, whose flat is on 15th floor, lost Rs 9 lakh cash, as they claimed in their separate FIRs lodged in local police station.

The working residents were especially worried as they have no option but to leave the flats for offices every day. They demanded better security mechanism to address the situation.

Pradeep Gupta, talking to City Spidey said, “When police reached the society and asked to show CCTV footages, one of the security guard replied that they do not have direct access to CCTV footages as it is operated from somewhere else. Nothing could be worse than this. These cameras were installed nearly two months back and most of them are non-functional.”

It is not the first incident when burglaries have happened in broad daylight at high rises in Noida or Greater Noida area. Rising number of such incidents pose serious questions to security system in posh areas.

For instance, on December 28 last year, burglaries were reported from Panchsheel Greens 2 where doors of three flats were broken in broad daylight.

Manish Kumar, a resident Greater Noida said, “Repeated theft incidents in broad day light is clear indication of failure of security system in high rises as well as inefficacy of local police. If the belongings are not safe despite security system then one can sense vulnerability to other crimes as well.”

“Whenever such kind of incidents happen in high rises, two kinds of development come – either the management replaces the security agency or the security guards. Similarly, police lodge complaints but the investigations run for several days without any concrete development,” he added.

Absence of proper communication between the management and residents is another problem. Residents have often alleged that the management does not pay heed to the security issues.

Residents alleged that there is always one-way communication – if the management issues any circular regarding any development, the residents respond but when residents want any clarification, they struggle to get response from the management.

Dhiraj Singh, a resident of Fusion Homes said, “We become helpless when the management, which is directly responsible for security of residents, does not cooperate. Residents often talk about maintenance charges but there are no discussions on improving security at the societies.”

BREAKING: Fire breaks out in Shipra Sun City's Regalia Heights

A fire incident has been reported from Shipra Sun City's Regalia Heights, a high-rise in Indirapuram. It occurred at 12 noon on Friday.

As per initial reports, the flames engulfed the basement shaft, including few floors of the society.

The fire brigade has reached the spot. Rescue operations are currently going on.

More details are awaited.

Noida Authority tells gated societies to take onus of waste disposal

Aiming to streamline city’s garbage collection and disposal process, Noida Authority has decided to take stringent action against housing societies who are found flouting the rules.

Officials at Noida Authority on Thursday said that a notice is being prepared and would be served within a couple of days to bulk waste generators, including group housing societies built over plot sizes above 5,000 square metre and hotels generating more than 100 kg waste per day.

The authority is responsible for providing sanitation services in the city. A penal provision is under consideration and will be finalised shortly, added the official.

Aiming to make Noida, especially residential sectors free from garbage bins, the authority has already installed 26 fixed compactor transfer stations, where the wet waste collected from residential sectors is processed in an environment-friendly way.

The authority had earlier implemented door-to-door collection of segregated waste in the city. With these steps, the authority estimates to process 100 tons of wet waste by the end of June 2019.

AK Mishra, additional chief executive officer with Noida Authority, said that steps are being taken to ensure proper disposal of wet waste according to the rules. “The authority also plans to build a waste-to-energy plant for resident welfare associations in residential sectors at a subsidized rate. The authority will bear 80% of the installation cost of the plant and the remaining 20% will be borne by the applicant,” said Mishra.

However, he added that the provision to build these facilities is currently restricted to residential sectors only. Group housing/gated societies will have to get their own plants. “Most of the group housing societies, while getting their development plan approved in the past, had committed to the authority that they would construct a waste disposal centre on their premises. But now, hardly anyone is following it,” said Mishra. 

“These housing societies get services from private agencies for cleaning and sanitation of their premises. Though these agencies manage to keep the societies clean, they have been found dumping waste on local dump sites adding to the mountain of garbage in the city,” said a Noida Authority official.

The aim of the notice, said the official, is to stop this illegal practice as it is defeating the aim of making Noida green and clean. “This is the reason that a notice is being served to all 350 bulk waste generators in the city. They need to ensure that the waste generated by them is processed within their boundary walls. If they fail to do so, they will be penalised,” he added. 

Nigerian arrested for scuffle with fellow national at Greater Noida

The police on Thursday arrested a Nigerian for allegedly fighting with another Nigerian at Alestonia Apartments in Surajpur area, Greater Noida.

Police officials informed that the accused along with his five friends entered the victim’s house and attempted to extort money from him.

“They also threatened the victim to join their group or else face dire consequences,” said police.

As per police, the accused was identified as Onifransis who was also a resident of Alestonia Apartments. Police added that the accused and his five friends were unemployed.

After the incident, the victim complained the matter to the association of Nigerian nationals residing in India. The association soon intervened in the matter and an FIR was lodged.

The victim, Ehis, told that he was also getting calls with threatening that if he doesn’t join their group then he will be killed.

Ehis said, “I have been getting calls from unknown numbers. They have been threatening to kill me if I fail to oblige to what they wanted. I don’t have any relation with them or their group. I demand police safety.”

Meanwhile, police said that the accused was arrested from his flat while his other friends were absconding.

“Victim has accused around six persons in his complaint, following which an FIR under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 386 (extortion), 452 (trespassing) and 507 (criminal intimidation) was lodged. One accused has been arrested by police while efforts are being made to nab those who are absconding” said Munish Chauhan, Station House officer of Surajpur police station.

Crossings Republik: Balcony's height in question as 6-yr-old girl falls to death

It was indeed a tragic Thursday for the parents of six-year-old Nandita and the residents of GH-7, a high-rise in Crossings Republik, following her death after falling from the balcony of a flat on 12th floor of tower 6 while playing.

According to police, the incident took place at 5 pm. The girl was alone in the flat when the mishap occurred.

Eyewitnesses of the incident told City Spidey the girl after falling from the balcony, hit the parapet raised horizontally to cover the balcony of a ground floor flat, then bumped on a scooty parked below before crashing on the ground.

The fall was so lethal that it displaced the fibre body of the scooty and the rearview mirror fell off, they added.

"We rushed to the spot and found the bloodied child lying flat, gasping for breath. We took her up and started shouting for help. In the meantime, someone informed about the incident on society's internal whatsapp group," said an eyewitness on the condition of anonymity.

"After a while, a lady driving a WagonR stopped her car and offered a ride to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the mother came running with the elder daughter and took the child to Vrindavan Hospital in the car. The father was informed on the way," the eyewitness added.

Doctors in Vrindavan gave in to constantly deteriorating condition of the child and referred her to Fortis in Noida. The mother took the child to Fortis in Vrindavan's ambulance where she was joined by her husband. However, doctors at Fortis, after much effort, couldn't save the child and declared her dead at 6 pm.

"The mother had received the information through whatsapp group. Fearing this could be her child, the mother rushed back to her tower," a resident told City Spidey whose daughter takes music lessons along with Sonakshi, elder sibling of the child.

According to residents, Shikha used to take along Nandita while dropping her elder sibling Sonakshi to the music class. However, today she left the kid home because she was in deep slumber at the time. Before leaving, Shikha had tuned in Nandita's favourite channel as well hoping the child would not cry if she wakes up in her absence.

The child after waking up, had pulled a chair and opened the latch of the door in the kitchen, opening towards the balcony, claimed a few residents who saw her in the balcony. City Spidey correspondent spotted a chair in the kitchen which could have been used by the child to access the door.

"We have not received any complaint from the family as they were unwilling to get a postmortem done," said Shyamveer Singh, SHO, Vijaynagar police station.

The child studied in Class 1 at Crossings branch of Indirapuram Public School along with her 10-year-old sibling Sonakshi who studies in Class V. Father Vivek Rajgariya works with ICICI Bank's Preet Vihar branch whereas mother Shikha is a housemaker.

Was height of the balcony the real cause of death?

One serious concern that could be seen here is the height of the balcony. Rohit Chaudhary, president of the Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA) and many residents claimed the height of the balcony is not more than 3 feet.

However, as per National Building Code, height of any slab or balcony from the ground should not be less than 4 feet. Besides, the gap between adjacent rails should not be more than 4-4.5 inches.

As per the same code, for balconies frequented by children, grills should not have horizontal rails but vertical ones as horizontal rails are very easy and tempting for children to climb.

Alok Kumar, president of Indirapuram based Federation of Apartments Owners Association (FedAoA) termed the incident 'unfortunate' and cited negligence of bylaws behind its occurrence. "Generally, builders, in order to save money on iron grills, neglect the laws which invite such tragic accidents," he commented.

Meanwhile, Chaudhary admitted that he was not aware of the law and assured that AoA will consult with residents and try to amend balconies as per rules so that such accidents could be averted in future.

Noida: Paramount resident complains to SDM about defunct fire safety equipment

The major fire incident reported at Saya Zenith, a high-rise in Indirapuram, on Wednesday has made residents living in high rises in Noida raise their concern against defunct fire safety systems installed in their societies.

In one such case, Ankur Arora, a resident of Paramount Floraville, an upscale condominium in Noida’s Sector 137, has lodged a complaint with sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Dadri, against dysfunctional fire-fighting equipment installed in the society.

In his complaint, Arora has said that the fire-fighting equipment installed has been in a dysfunctional state for the past seven months. He also alleged that equipment was working till the time maintenance of the society was handled by the residents' body. But the scene changed soon after the builder was brought back to take care of the maintenance responsibilities seven months back.

The builder had allegedly taken over the upkeep work following a rift between two groups of residents within the society.

Ankur complained that the fire alarms have become non-functional as its sensors are not working. "Earlier whenever there was any smoke, alarms used to ring alerting on-duty guards. But now they can’t be alerted of any mishap as the alarms are out of order,” he said.

The complainant also wrote to the maintenance agency appointed by the developer of the society. But they have done nothing so far.

"What are they waiting for before resolving the issue?” Ankur asked.

Ankur said that he also called fire officials to raise his concerns. But he alleged that the fire officials told him that they would only respond or take action on complaint if they are directed by concerned SDM. Later, he complained to SDM, Dadri.

Ruling out his claim of complaining to fire officials, A K Singh, chief fire officer, Fire Service, Gautam Buddha Nagar, said that a prompt action will be taken if his office in Sector-2, Noida, receives a written complaint from any resident regarding defunct fire-fighting equipment.

"We assure that an officer from fire service will visit the society to examine whether the equipment is in order or not. If any fault is found, action will be taken,” Singh said.

Noida techie loses Rs 4.1 lakh in credit card fraud

Yet another case of credit card fraud has come to light. A software engineer, who is a resident of DPS Society in Noida’s Sector 51, has alleged that his credit card was used to make international shopping transactions worth Rs 4.1 lakh.

According to the complaint registered with Sector 49 Police Station, the victim has been identified as Mohit Krishn who works as a software engineer.

 Noida News

In his complaint, techie informed the police that on the midnight of April 19, Rs 4,11,000 was debited from his credit card. Soon after he received message about the transaction, he also received a phone call mentioning the fraud.

The complaint said that the caller identified himself as banker and asked Krishn whether he had done any international transaction recently? When Krishn said no, the caller informed him that the amount deducted from his credit card was used to make international purchase.

According to the police, the victim has recently got his credit card with a credit limit of Rs 5 lakh. The fraudsters made two purchases in foreign currency, one in dollars and other in euros. Ajay Agrawal, SHO of Sector 49 Police Station said that a complaint has been registered and the case has been given to the cyber cell for further investigation.

EDMC fined for delay in bio methanation plant at Ghazipur area

The Ghazipur area in East Delhi has been notorious for foul smells emanating from the slaughter house and landfill. The situation is so bad that it is really a tough challenge for people to cross through the area. The residents who are living in nearby areas have no other option but to live with the persistent stink.

As the things are increasing getting out of control, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has taken action against the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). DPCC has imposed a fine of Rs 50 Lakh to EDMC for delaying set up of a bio methanation plant which is required to control the stink in the area.

Ghazipur slaughterhouse was set up in 2009. Ever since then, 50 metric tonnes of animal paunch waste – stomach contents of ruminants like buffalo, sheep and goat – are produced on a daily basis. As per a data, around 7,000 animals are butchered every day at the Ghazipur slaughterhouse.

Currently, the animal paunch, which is acidic in nature and the main source of the stink in the area, are dumped without any treatment at the Ghazipur landfill area.

The DPCC has been reminding the EDMC to immediately set up a plant for a long time. Now, with the notice, things are expected to get better, and people anticipate that there will be hard action on the ground in the direction of setting up of the bio methanation plant.

However, the EDMC defended themselves by saying that they had floated the tender twice to rope in technical expertise for the setting up of plant but it got delayed due to many reasons including model code of conduct for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, the EDMC has requested DPCC to waive off the fine imposed for delay in setting up of the plant. “Procedure to setup bio-methanation plant is on but it got delayed due to not fixing of bidder to provide services,” said a senior official in EDMC.

The residents are ecstatic that something of this sort has happened. They were of the view that the process to set up plant should be expedited and necessary actions should be taken from the EDMC without any delay.

They expressed hope that with the setting up of the plant, they will be finally breathing clear air free from stinks. A resident living in the area said, “If we get clean air free from methane, then nothing like this. We are at high risk of health hazards due to the contaminated air. We are forced to live with it. Any steps in the direction of setting up of plant is welcome.”