GHAZIABAD: Residents of various housing societies in Indirapuram protested on the service road of NH-9 on Sunday, expressing their concerns about the pollution caused by a dumping yard in Khoda.
The protestors blocked the road near the NIB outpost for over two and a half hours.
The dumpyard, spread over 10 acres, is on a vacant land behind the Khoda police station. Residents alleged that over 100 trucks dispose of their waste at this site daily, resulting in tonnes of garbage accumulating in the yard. The dumpyard is in close proximity to five highrises; Supertech Icon, Gaur Green Vista, Amrapali Village, Patrkar Vihar and V3S Indralok.
Ashish Kumar, a resident of Supertech Icon said, “There is always a foul smell lingering around our society. Property dealers say no one wants to buy properties here because of this pungent smell and dirty surroundings.”
“We are feeling suffocated because of the toxic fumes, poisonous gases from burning plastics and other wastes. The authorities and elected representatives have not done even a single thing. Due to heavy rains, the dumping yard is flooded with polluted water,” said Chakrapani Priyadarshan, another resident.
Residents said that they would flag the problem to National Green Tribunal.
Meanwhile, Divyakant Agarwal—food and sanitation inspector, municipality of Khoda— said that the garbage will be cleared within two to three months and will be sent to the disposal centre.
In May 2022, several residents of Indirapuram protested the dumping of waste at the Shakti Khand landfill after over 1,200 metric tons of solid waste had accumulated there. In response to this, NGT imposed a hefty penalty on the civic authorities, resulting in Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation clearing up the waste.
