Protest erupts over dumping of waste at Jhuriwala ground

Panchkula, August 23

Annoyed over Panchkula Municipal Corporation's failure to completely clear the Jhuriwala dumping ground of waste, residents of the city, especially those from the trans-ghaggar areas held a march and dumped garbage outside the MC office at Sector 14 today as a mark of their protest. The residents held a candle march from Sector 26 Community Centre to Sector 25 in the evening.

"For the past 20-25 years, residents of sectors 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and Moginand and Madanpur villages have been harried due to the Sector 23 and Jhuriwala dumping grounds. Therefore, today we demonstrated our dissatisfaction by dumping our household waste outside the MC office," the protesters said.

"Despite numerous requests to the Haryana Government, local legislators and the MC, there has been no progress in shifting the dumping ground," they said.

Rachna Ram Pal, a protester, said the MC claimed the dumping ground was being cleared. "The office was even reprimanded by the NGT over the issue, but they have still been dumping waste at Jhuriwala," she said. Nitesh Mittal, convenor, Sangram Jhuriwala Dumping Ground Committee, said the MC was using the site as a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) site for the entire city. "The Municipal Corporation has failed to find an alternative site for this purpose for over two years. Additionally, its proposal to create six MRF sites in 2023 due to stuck in bureaucratic delays," he added. The protesters warned of intensifying their protest and said they would not allow any party's candidate to enter their areas in the upcoming elections.