Cong, AAP stage protest nearc Dadumajra dumping ground

Addressing the protesters, Lucky said that the people living in the vicinity of the dumping ground were living a life of hell wherein they have suffered multiple medical issues and health-related problems. There has been no scientific study of the areas near Dadumajra to ascertain the level of loss people have suffered because of the dumping ground. No compensation to date has
been paid to any person who has suffered medically because of the dumping ground, said Lucky.

In the meantime, quoting a study conducted by Punjab Engineering College, published in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering, Rajiv Sharma, spokesperson of the party, stated that the soil around the dump has a significantly high concentration of copper and zinc, which can potentially harm liver, kidney, and intestines of those exposed to it besides causing stomach-related problems, respiratory disorders and nausea.

Stating that the locals at Dadumajra are already battling severe skin allergies and respiratory ailments, the spokesperson expressed concern that the annual fires in the dump release toxins that reach all over Chandigarh and has the potential to contaminate the groundwater and soil in the entire Union Territory.

A large number of Congress leaders and workers of the city apart from local residents of Dadumajra and nearby areas participated in the protest.

The protest ended in front of the dumping ground after the protesters took a round of the whole colony raising slogans against the ruling BJP and AAP for their failure to safeguard the interests of the residents.

The Aam Aadmi Party too, under the leadership of Pradeep Chhabra and area councillor Kuldeep Tita, demonstrated against the five-acre temporary shed to be set up at the Dadumajra dumping ground. Hundreds of AAP supporters and local people took part in the demonstration, during which Chhabra said that many municipal mayors came and went, but no one tried to solve the pile of garbage spread in the dumping ground.

“Due to the garbage of the dumping ground, the stench has spread in the whole environment. Now another temporary shed is going to be installed in the name of new technology which the residents are opposing,” the AAP said.