City's waste dumped near village; farmers, residents fume

The local administration is facing protests by farmers owing allegiance to the BKU, and also most residents of Mathana village, in the district for dumping domestic garbage from the city near the village on the Kurkshetra-Haridwar road.

BKU activists led by Guni Prakash and majority of residents of Mathana are up in arms against the administration for dumping of the municipal waste at the village by the Thanesar Municipal Council.

Mathana village is situated on Kurukshetra-Yamunanagar road, 6 KM from Pipli towards Yamunanagar. It is one of the biggest villages of Kurukshetra district.

The village has facilities like a Kendriya Vidyalaya, a 66 KV power sub-station, a community health centre and a government senior secondary school.

Prakash today said the villagers would not allow dumping of municipal waste close to the village.

Parveen, a villager, said that foul smell emanates from the dump and is adversely affecting the health of the villagers. BKU activists and many residents of the village have launched a dharna against the practice.

Deputy Commissioner S S Phulia said the municipality had signed a contract with the panchayat to use an open area located away from the residential area to dump domestic waste.

Sarpanch Kiran Bala, who is facing the wrath of villagers, said the panchayat had signed a two-year contract with the MC to dump domestic garbage in a spacious 30 ft area near the village.

She said after the landfill is filled, the MC had to put 3 ft layer of soil on the dump yard. The sarpanch said the contract would expire on September 23.

She said the panchayat would like to extend the agreement till the dump yard spread over about 5 acres was not filled.

However, the villagers are of the view that the sarpanch did not took them in confidence before signing the contract. They demanded a probe against the sarpanch.

Domestic waste from Kurukshetra will be treated at an upcoming treatment plant in adjoining Ambala district in near future, Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha said.

The project will be capable of treating municipal waste generated from Ambala and Kurukshetra, he said.

Sudha said the site in Mathana will be exhausted in another six months and the Thanesar Municipal Council, comprising Kurukshetra city and adjoining rural pockets, will have to look for another place to dump the waste.

Due to the rigid stand taken by the villagers, the Municipal Council has found itself in a tight situation as over 70 tonnes of garbage collected by its dumpers from the town need to be disposed off daily.

Executive Officer, Municipal Council, B N Bhatrisaid that garbage would be dumped at Mathana pit till expiry of the agreement.