Protest against proposed garbage dumping ground in Noida

NOIDA: The proposal to set up a garbage dumping ground at a landfill site in sector 123 of Noida has stirred a hornet's nest with residents of sectors 117 to 122 joining hands with the villagers of nearby villages to stage a massive protest against the authority and government on Sunday morning.

Over 500 agitated people staged a protest at roundabout near Indraprastha Gas Limited at Vikas Marg. They were joined by women-children as well as by villagers from nearby areas such as Sorkha, Parthala, Sarfabad etc. They demand that such dump site must not be allowed at this place as it will bring life of around 20,000 family at stake who reside in sectors 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122 and adjoining villages.

Around half a dozen housing complexes and three villages are located near the site.

“We will not allow the Noida authority build any waste plant here. We have paid lakhs of rupees from our life time savings to buy us a home here. If a landfill site is built here, it will create a civic hell of air, water and ground pollution levels same as they are around the Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi,” said Anurag Sharma, a resident of RG Residency in sector 120.

“The proposed site is just few metres away from our residential society. There are around 2,000 families living here who are at a stake. This is a clear violation of municipal solid waste management (MSW) rules which states that any such waste/treatment should be minimum 200 metres away from residential areas,” said Abhishek Dang, a resident of homes 121.

"The authority must discuss with the people before coming up with any decision which is directly linked to public lives and health at a mass," said N P Singh, president, Federation Of Noida Residents Welfare Association (fonrwa).

The NGT on October 17 had directed the Noida Authority to construct a landfill site in sector 123 after dumping of waste at a vacant plot in sector 138A was banned over the complaints from the residents of nearby sectors.