Waste being dumped in city forests, fields
Scores of people living in Faridabad have raised serious concerns about the issue of grinding and dumping waste from the Bandhwari landfill back into the forests, drains, fields, and city of Faridabad since February. Pollution watchdog, the National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognizance of the matter, but has not taken any action against any agency or official, environmentalists have alleged.
Faridabad residents have claimed that despite complaints, Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) trucks continue to dump plastic waste into the Aravalli region without any restrictions. Environmentalists have accused the civic bodies of both Gurugram and Faridabad of failing to curtail the menace of illegal garbage dumping in the Aravallis. In a letter addressed to the district administration, the Save Aravallis Trust said that private contractors hired by MCF have failed to manage the Bandhwari garbage mountain and instead have started resorting to dumping plastic waste in nearby villages, incentivizing locals financially for disposal of the garbage.
Jitender Bhadana of the Save Aravallis Trust said that contractors have been dumping processed waste in forest areas since February, this year. “Trucks are bringing in plastic and dumping it in Faridabad areas rather than going to Bandhwari,” he said.
Both corporations, have however, insisted that they are working on waste management. Environmentalists feel the forest is being further violated amid illegal dumping of waste. “Illegal dumping of waste persists in the Aravallis and surrounding villages. Maybe, the NGT should send a team here for a site inspection to verify what we have been saying for almost a year now, and there has been zero relief ,” said environmentalist Va is hali Ran a Chandra.
Deputy Commissioner of Faridabad, Vikram Yadav, said that he has formed a team under the Additional Deputy Commissioner to investigate the issue. “I have asked them to collect samples from the spots and check whether it is fresh waste or processed waste. Also, the team has been asked to penalize the people involved in dumping waste illegally and register criminal cases against them,” he said.