Following continuing protests by local residents demanding relocation of the municipal trenching ground from its present location along the Sahastradhara Road, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli on Friday visited the trenching ground along with senior officials to take stock of the situation on the ground on Friday. The Mayor entered the large heap of garbage during the visit which ended with an agreement being reached between the local residents and the municipal authorities following which the public withdrew their agitation for now.
The Sahastradhara garbage trenching ground had already reached its full capacity some years ago but in absence of alternate trenching ground, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun has continued to dump municipal waste in the existing trenching ground. People living in apartments in the vicinity of the trenching ground have for years been protesting and demanding that the trenching ground be relocated. Since 2008 there have been repeated protests by the locals who bar the MCD’s garbage dumper vehicles from unloading municipal waste at this trenching ground. Due to the protest by locals reiterating the demand for relocating the trenching ground, the municipal garbage carriers have not been able to unload at this trenching ground for the past few days.
On Friday, the Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, municipal commissioner Nitin Singh Bhadauriya and others reached the trenching ground to address the situation. After much deliberation on the issue and inspection of the heap of garbage by the mayor himself, an agreement was reached between the municipal authority and protesting locals. According to the agreement, the trenching ground will be shifted within six months to the solid waste management facility being constructed at Shishambada under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). In case construction of the Shishambada facility is completed in less than six months, the trenching ground will be shifted immediately. As per the agreement reached, a departmental assessment will be carried out while dumping will continue here for the time being though the garbage will be covered. An official will also be deployed for the trenching ground where the treatment of garbage will also be conducted on a daily basis to minimise the stench and health risks.
The dumping of garbage at Sahastradhara road trenching ground will be undertaken in the period between 8 am and 6 pm for which a committee formed will meet in a fortnight. Once a month, the committee along with the mayor and municipal commissioner will conduct a review. With agreement being reached on varied points, the protesting local residents declared the withdrawal of their agitation while also clarifying that they will register their complaint in case conditions agreed upon are not observed.
It is pertinent to mention here that though the Sahastradhara Road trenching ground had reached its full capacity years ago, factors like protracted delay in construction of the JNNURM funded solid waste management facility and rising quantity of garbage generated by an increasing population among other issues, have hampered redressal of the issue.
With more than 200 metric tonnes of solid municipal waste being generated in Dehradun city per day, the heaps and heaps of garbage in the trenching ground have made it more difficult for those living in the vicinity.
A strong stench emanating from here has made it tough for residents of nearby apartments to lead a normal life. The associated health risks and other issues have been raised repeatedly for some years now without being redressed as required.
It now remains to be seen whether the required work will be completed within the time schedule set or be further hampered by political reasons and organisational issues of the governmental machinery.