NewDelhi: Residents of Rani Khera in northwest Delhi on Sunday protested angrily against the plan to dump garbage at a DDA plot there following the move to shut down Ghazipur landfill in east Delhi.
On Friday, two people had died after mounds of garbage came crashing and crushed two people at Ghazipur. The closure of the landfill resulted in a flurry of complaints of poor sanitation condition in east Delhi.
Naresh Lakra, who runs a shop at Rani Khera, said he saw half a dozen dumpers coming towards the locality at 10am. He, along with several other villagers, gathered at the five-acre DDA plot and deflated their tyres. “We are ready to face batons and bullets, but we will not allow anybody to turn our homes into a garbage dumping site. Our forefathers lived here; we have been raised here. We cannot see this to happen to our villages,” said R K Dabas, a 60-year-old resident.
The DDA plot is surrounded by 28 villages. Despite the protests, three dumpers managed to dump waste at the site and villagers complained of stench emanating from there.
East corporation areas generate almost 2,200 MT of waste daily and the five-acre plot may not be enough to cater to its requirement. Also, the rationale of carrying waste from east Delhi — Ghazipur is 45km from Rani Khera — is being questioned. Villagers claimed that during the recent municipal elections, various parties had promised to make the area a model of development. “Is this the development they were talking about?” said Karan Singh Mathur, a resident.
As the number of protesters swelled, some even came with tent and a loudspeaker. They threatened to resort to arson and violence. However, heavy police presence didn’t allow things to go out of hand.
Jayender Dabas, the area councillor, “I told LG (Anil Baijal) that this is a residential area and he has promised to shift the dumping site after a week.” North corporation mayor Preety Aggrawal, who also met Baijal, said: “LG has said it’s a temporary measure.”
EDMC mayor Neema Bhagat said while some dumpers were sent to the Ghazipur waste-to-energy plant, others were stranded. “We are trying to convince the people in Rani Khera,” she said. The villagers, however, held their ground till late in the evening.
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