Gurugram turns into dumpyard, residents seek CM’s intervention

While Gurugram is yet to recover from the four-day-long Bandhwari landfill fire, two dumpyards or ‘khattas’ in Dhanwapur and Khandsa caught fire on Monday night. The incidents, which pushed the Fire Department to their limits, have left thousands of residents choked and gasping for breath. The locals accused sanitation workers of putting waste on fire as it could not be dumped in Bandhwari for last few days.

“Our village is a hell now owing to this dumpyard. The contractors are illegally dumping waste here. Since it’s an illegal ‘khatta’, there is no provision of any shed or camera or guards. The industrial waste is dumped here and stench defines the character of our area. What adds to our irony is the fire. When contractor cannot deal with waste, he sets it on fire. As the industrial waste is being illegally dumped here, it simmers for days. We have had enough now,” said local Councillor Avneesh Raghav.

A similar crisis is being faced in Dhanwapur village, where the waste fire spread to the gaushala. Toxic fumes are lingering in the area.

“Gurugram is a ‘khatta gram’. We have zero waste management as contractors of the Municipal Corporation, Gurugram, openly flout the Solid Waste Management Rules. Be it Bandhwari or these dumpyards, they are simple ‘khattas’. When waste gets out of hand, they take primitive measure to set it on fire, and people face health crises. The authorities have to work on their primary and secondary waste collection points and deal with them scientifically,” said Ruchika Sethi from Clean Air Bharat.

Recently, MCG Commissioner Ashok Kumar Garg and Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra conducted an inspection at the secondary waste collection sites at Beriwala Bagh, Jharsa, Carterpuri and Khandsa. During their visit, they issued instructions to MCG officials, mandating clearance of all these collection points within 48 hours, however, nothing happened.

Delhi