HUDA takes garbage site to villages, draws ire

To protest against the decision of the authorities to shift a landfill site from near DLF Phase I to Bandwari village, nearly 100 villagers blocked the Faridabad-Gurgaon Road on Monday morning for around 15 minutes.

The villagers alleged that if the site was shifted to the new location, it would create serious problem for over 40 villages in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Delhi. Most of these villages fall within the one-km radius of the proposed dumping site. “One can imagine the kind of garbage cities produce. If the landfill site of Gurgaon and Faridabad is shifted here, it would not only produce unbearable stench but would also irreparably pollute our land and water,” said Antaram Kanwal, a resident of Tigra village. The panchayat has decided not to accept the compensation offered by HUDA for the site, he added.

Senior police officers seemed unaware of the situation. DCP (east) Jagdish Nagar said: “I have no information that the road was blocked.”

An official said HUDA had obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Centre for shifting the site. “Before any such plan is carried out, there is a public hearing, after which an NOC is provided. HUDA has prepared a detailed project report about treating the waste before the garbage is disposed,” he said. Municipal Corporation of Faridabad and Gurgaon will rope in a private agency to ensure that the waste is treated before its disposal, he said.