Years after the municipal trenching ground reportedly reached its full capacity and contrary to assurances given to local residents, the authorities have continued to dump the solid municipal waste of Dehradun at the trenching ground along Sahastradhara Road.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had led officials in the recent past in spraying a special solution at the trenching ground to eradicate the stench. However, at present the stench continues to pervade the area around the trenching ground with open garbage disposal vehicles of the municipal corporation of Dehradun also causing garbage to be strewn around on roads in the locality.
Observers opine out that as per the regulations, this site should have been developed into a public garden years ago but is still being used for dumping municipal waste.
The president of Hill View apartments welfare association, brigadier (retd) GS Sisodia said that the residents particularly face the problem of foul smell due to which even walking around in the area is not possible. Due to the burning of the garbage there is a lot of acrid smoke in the area which is also detrimental to public health. He said that most of the garbage disposal vehicles of the municipal corporation of Dehradun are not covered, due to which the garbage they carry is often strewn around on the roads in the locality.
Though the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had sprayed a formulation to fight the stench here, nothing much has been done in this regard by the authorities since then. Even after the back to back assurances given by the Government to the residents of the area no steps have been taken yet to do the needful to resolve problems being faced in the area, he added.
Others living in the area also point out that there has been no effective response from the authorities even after repeated protests and complaints by the local residents. Non-bio degradable and toxic waste items are being burnt in the open at the trenching ground much to the detriment of the health of locals and the environment, they complain.