Amit Halder & Sarthak Kanjilall
Port Blair, June 25: Garbage dumping alongside road at Loha Barrick area, under Chouldary Panchayat, is causing huge inconvenience to people. Largely affected are those who come for the morning walk on the said road stretch.
“I used to come here with my kid for walking everyday but since the people started dumping in the garbage alongside the road I have stopped coming with my kid as the smell and flies had made the area unhygienic,” said a Chouldary resident, who does not want his name to be quoted.
As per reports, Sippighat, Humphrey Gunj, Chouldary, Wandoor, Mithakhari, Namunaghar and Tushnabad Gram Panchayat are dumping the garbage in the said area alongside the road at Loha Barrick.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, another resident of the area said that a particular area in Loha Barrick has already been allotted as dumping yard and shed has also been constructed but instead of dumping the garbage inside the dumping yard, the Panchayat Vans are dumping the garbage alongside the road, which is very irresponsible act.
“Such an irresponsible attitude from the aforesaid Panchayats must not be accepted and hence, concerned authorities must take stringent action among these panchayats, so that they take the pain to dump the garbage in the allotted area,” he added.
When contacted, Mr. Mohan Halder, the Pradhan of Chouldari Panchayat said that for the cluster of three Panchayats Chouldari, Mithakhari and Humphrey Gunj, the said dumping yard over 4000 sq meter area, is being developed at Loha Barrick but according to many other Panchayats are also irresponsibly dumping garbage of their areas in the said area of Loha Barrick.
“This is perhaps because their dumping areas are also not ready in their cluster and in difficult time like this, it is not a problem but dumping garbage outside the allotted area, very irresponsibly is also a problem. Vehicles of many Panchayats are also not paying required fees of Rs. 250 to Chouldari Panchayat,” Mr. Mohan Halder said.
He added that the building and some pits inside the proposed dumping yard of Loha Barrick are ready and after completion of some works including fencing works the dumping yard will be handed over to the Chouldari Panchayat.
“This will take maximum two months. Due to Coronavirus Pandemic this work also got delayed. Once the dumping yard is ready we can keep a watchman and control things better. For now we are hiring excavators and keeping the garbage away from road, as much as possible but other Panchayats must also show responsibility,” Mr. Halder added.
