Shift all dump yards including Bhagtawala dump yard from residential area as recommended by the parliamentary standing committee: Gumtala
Amritsar Nov. 27, 2014 (BharatSandesh Bureau):– Dr. Charanjit Singh Gumtala, patron Amritsar Vikas Manch has demanded the shifting of all dump yards including Bhagtanwala (Amritsar) dump yard from the residential area throughout Punjab as recommended by the parliamentary standing committee on urban development.
In separate letters to Prime Minister Sh. Narinder Modi, Union Finance Minister Sh. Arun Jaitly, Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal and others the Manch leader stated that in the 27th report, the parliamentary committee on urban development has recommended to close all waste plants in residential areas throughout the country because hazardous emission from the municipal incinerators cause serious health problems to people living not only near them but even those living thousands of kilometers away from the source. The report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on February 13th 2014 and presented to the Lok Sabha on February 16th 2014. The manual on municipal solid waste management and the report on technology advisory group on municipal solid waste indicate that flue gas generated from waste-to-energy plants will contain a number of pollutants in various concentrations like "carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM) containing heavy metal compounds and dioxins".
This dump yard is only 1800 meter away from the Golden temple and government is going to establish solid waste plant here in violation of the above recommendation. Solid waste plant will not only damage the building of the Sri Harimander Sahib and other religious and heritage buildings but will have adverse effect on the health of the people living many kilometers away. About 50 thousand residents near the Bhagtanwala dump yard in Amritsar are protesting for the last one month for shifting of this dump yard, but Punjab govt. is not listening to their voice, though senior deputy mayor S. Avtar Singh Tarkanwala and chief parliament secretary S.Inderbir Singh Bularia are supporting the genuine cause of the agitating people and are in favour of shifting of Bhagtanwala dump.
Punjab govt. is going to construct a wall around to dump to pacify the agitators but this wall cannot check poisonous gases. So Punjab Govt. should shift all dump yards including Bhagtanwala from the residential areas.
