‘No garbage dump here’

Residents of at least 12 villages,including Swara,Rasanheri,Jhanjeri,Landran,Tirpari,Niamian and Daonmajra,have united against the decision to acquire 58 acres land in the vicinity to dump estimated 80 tonnes of untreated garbage and solid waste daily generated from Mohali. GMADA had recently initiated proceedings to acquire the land.

The area residents held a meeting at Swara village on Saturday evening and unanimously resolved “to oppose tooth and nail the GMADA decision of turning the area in a garbage dump”.

Block samiti vice-chairperson Paramjeet Kaur Gill,Landran village sarpanch Sunder Singh,Tirpari village sarpanch Kulwant Singh,Niamian village sarpanch Avtar Singh,Daonmajra village sarpanch Naib Singh,Panchayat Association general secretary Harminder Singh Mawi,Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee president Amar Singh,former SGPC member Sadhu Singh Todarmajra,Harinderpal Singh Billa,Master Kuldeep Singh,Tarlochan Singh Sidhu,Darshan Singh,Gian Singh,Daljeet Singh Gabbemajra and Rachhpal Singh jointly announced to take up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for issuing directions to GMADA to withdraw the decision.

The residents strongly criticised GMADA for selecting the site without their consent. They argued that at least 24 villages of the area would be badly affected by the stench and other allied problems to be caused by the dumping ground. It was also feared that the proposed site for dumping ground would also cause hurdles for the landing and taking off of flights from the upcoming Mohali international airport besides falling on the road leading to Fatehgarh Sahib,where lakhs of devotees visit for annual Shaheedi Jor Mela every year.

This is the seventh consecutive site for dumping Mohali’s garbage that has faced stiff opposition from residents. GMADA had earlier faced stiff opposition for proposing to shift the dumping ground in Phase VI,Industrial Area,Phase I,a site near Verka Milk Plant,Jagatpura village and Mauli Baidwan village. This has left GMADA in a fix as Mohali’s garbage continues to be dumped in the densely inhabited Industrial Focal Point,Phase VIII-B,in contravention of the order issued by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,who as GMADA chairman,had on May 29 ordered to shift the garbage dumping ground from its present site.