The Tribune Impact: Commission seeks report on garbage dumps at Jagatpura
Mohali, July 8
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission today took suo motu cognisance of the news report by The Tribune reporter Gaurav Kanthwal published in these columns, “Jagatpura dumps raise flight safety concerns” and called for a report from the Mohali MC Commissioner on next hearing.
Commission chairperson Justice Sant Parkash observed that the news highlighted the piling of garbage near the boundary wall of Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport at Jagatpura, raising flight safety concerns, but the MC concerned was unmoved. The report further indicated that several spots could be seen near the landing area where the residents were dumping garbage.
Airport authorities said they had flagged the concern several times but the MC officials had failed to deter people from dumping garbage near the airport boundary at Kambala, Jagatpura and Sector 74. Garbage and waste from meat shops in the vicinity attract birds. Sources at the airport said the past week and a half had witnessed several flight delays, aborted take-offs and touchdowns due to the increased bird activity in the area.
On Monday, the waste remained littered near the boundary wall of the airport, while Municipal Corporation officials were unmoved. Jagatpura residents said the garbage had been piling up here for weeks now. “There is no regular mechanism of garbage disposal here. A foul smell keeps emanating from the garbage on rainy days,” they said.