Tuesday, 30 April 2019

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.