Waste being burnt openly in a vacant DDA land near Nirmal Bhartia School
Burning of waste and leaves across Dwarka continues unabated. Even though the National Green Tribunal has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 on such acts, the civic bodies have not been effective in controlling the burning.
In fact, some areas have become permanent spots for burning of garbage and leaves. They include a vacant DDA land near Nirmal Bhartia School, Sector 14; the area just adjacent to the wall of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Sector 3; near Brahma Apartments of Sector 7; and at many places in sectors 6,7,8,9,1011,12,13,18,19 and 23.
However, the SDMC and DDA don't seem too concerned.
Says Arvinder Singh Chatwal, vice-president of Dwarka Forum, and general secretary of Sector 8 RWA, “We are ready to cooperate with the civic bodies on the issue. Burning of waste has become a regular affair. We need to become serious about this. The authorities should prosecute the violators, and that should help in controlling such acts.”
Morning walkers are the worst hit. The smoke coupled with the cold weather has aggravated symptoms of breathlessness and suffocation. People are avoiding going to the parks in the mornings and during evenings.
A member of the management of Brahma Society, Sector 7, and a social activist, Munish Kundra, says, “Burning of garbage and waste has become a huge problem. We have been informing the authorities about such activities, but to no avail. Now, during the winter, the situation will just get worse."
Improper management of horticulture waste is one of the major causes of burning of leaves and waste, feel many. Residents have been sensitising the community through group meetings and social media networks, but burning cannot be controlled without the support of the authorities.
Environmental activist and a resident of Shaman Apartments, Sector 23, Diwan Singh, laments, “This is really unfortunate! Despite the NGT ban, burning continues. Those doing so are either unaware or don't care. So the need of the hour is to make them aware, and also catch the perpetrators red-handed. The SDMC and DDA should jointly work with the residents.”
City Spidey spoke to Sanjeev Kumar, deputy commissioner of SDMC, Najafgarh Zone, on the subject. He assured that his officials are working hard to create awareness about the consequences of such actions, and they are also prosecuting offenders as far as possible.
However, one of the officials said, on condition of anonymity, that it's not possible to keep round-the-clock vigil around spots known for burning.
