DEONAR SITE
Activists withdraw PIL on dumping ground….Linah Baliga
Activists withdraw PIL on dumping ground….Linah Baliga
Mumbai:The Smoke Affected Residents Forum withdrew its PIL demanding the closure of the Deonar dumping ground filed against the BMC.The outbreak of fires at the dumping ground,known for spewing toxic gases,has reduced considerably for over a month,claim officials of Tatva,the private firm conducting the scientific closure of the dumping site.
We had filed a contempt petition against the then municipal chief Jairaj Phatak.We have withdrawn it now since the court has already appointed a committee to supervise the project, said Dr Sandeep Rane,member of the Smoke Affected Residents Forum.
Tatva Global Environment (Deonar) Ltd,a private agency appointed by the civic administration said that 45% of the scientific closure process of the dumping ground will be completed before the monsoon.
Now,35 lakh cubic metres of garbage has been shifted to the closure portion consisting of 65 hectares.Of the 6.5 lakh sq m of closure area,1.5 lakh sq m has been reformed and another 1.5 lakh sq m will be completed before the monsoon, said Suketu Shah,managing director,Tatva.
Tatva officials said the clearing of the site has reduced the bad odour and the presence of anti-social elements,however,the residents did not agree with the claim.While fires may have reduced,but the smoke and bad odour still persist.Anti-social elements burn garbage and the BMC cant control them, said Kala Suresh,a resident.
BMC chief engineer (solid waste management) Bhalchandra Patil said that the untreated garbage would be accommodated in the 65-hectare portion where the partial closure of dumping ground will take place.This will go on till a processing plant is installed.
The BMC will pay Tatva a fee to manage and process waste and disposal of inert waste.The private firm will set up processing facilities at the dumping site.
We have conducted a survey on the demographics of ragpickers and we would rehabilitate them.We would like to enrol them into municipal schools and pay for their tuition fee.We would provide employment to people between 20 to 45 years, said Shah.