Ghaziabad: In the face of stiff resistance from the residents, an ambitious “waste to energy” programme of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, in collaboration with a foreign agency, is in jeopardy.
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation had purchased 44 acres of land in the Galand area of Hapur district in the year 2019. The land was bought for the construction of a dumping ground. The plan was to set up a plant that would generate electricity from the garbage. GCIND solutions private limited company from Netherland signed a contract with Ghaziabad municipal corporation in 2019 for setting up this waste to energy plant.
On September 28, 2021, the dumping yard in Raj Nagar extension was shut down because of huge protests. The problem of sanitation and spread of Dengue in a region where around 2 lakh residents live was the reason behind it. Following the shutting down of the dumping ground in Raj Nagar Extension the Municipal Corporation Ghaziabad decided to start their Galand Project. This move was met by a determined protest by the local residents.
On November 23, 2021, Ghaziabad authorities started their project in Galand. To begin with, work started on the construction of the boundary wall of the planned plant. But on the very next morning, the wall was found demolished. Now the Ghaziabad authority is in a dilemma. On one hand, the whole city is suffering from garbage on roads, and on the other hand, the people of Galand don't want a dump yard in their village.
“We are sitting here to stop the construction of the dumping ground. If the dumping yard is constructed then our children will suffer from diseases, and we fear that our newborn might suffer from deformities. The authorities have made the fence and we demolished it.” says Kusam Tomar, a protester.
Another protester Kasmiri said, “ If you own this land then construct something good here, construct a cowshed or a market or some building but please don't construct a dumping yard here.”
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Few protesters were seen carrying wooden sticks and spades. On being asked why they were carrying these a protester Nikki said, “ We are Farmers, we carry these things everywhere. We do not want to bother anyone but we are against this garbage dumping project. We will sit here until the authorities will not give us a written letter in which they mention that the construction of the dumping ground will not proceed.“
On Tuesday Arun Kumar, Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation said, “ The construction of boundaries have been started, soon we will start the garbage dumping work here.”
Ghaziabad City residents were happy on Tuesday evening after getting this news. But that happiness didn't last long, looking at the protests happening again, it does not seem that this work of dumping ground and waste to energy plants will be starting anytime soon.
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