Gobind Nagar residents pool money to clean up garbage dump

Amid growing frustration over a massive garbage dump in Gobind Nagar, residents took matters into their own hands after repeated complaints to the Municipal Corporation (MC) were ignored.

The Gobind Nagar Youth Welfare Society decided to tackle the problem themselves, citing the MC’s little help despite several requests and complaints.

The dump, which had been left unattended for over five years, had become a health hazard for residents. The foul smell and unsanitary conditions had made daily life unbearable. “We kept filing complaints, but nothing was done,” said one of the residents, adding that they had no choice but to handle it ourselves.

With no response from the local authorities, the youth from the Welfare Society pooled money and got the dump cleared.

Led by Deepak Luthra, president of the society, and supported by members, including Vasu Chhiber, Nitin Arora, Talwinder Suhi, Rajat Chohan, Umang Sharma, Ishaan Arora, Gaurav Arora, Nitish Dalmotra and Tajinder Singh, the group took swift action to address the long-standing issue.

“This is not our responsibility, but we couldn’t wait any longer. It was a risk to everyone’s health”, said one of the members.

Once the area was cleared, the residents took additional measures to ensure that it remained clean. They pitched a tent and a banner at the site, warning that anyone caught dumping garbage would face a Rs 1,000 fine. This self-imposed penalty was designed to deter people from littering and keep the area clean.

Deepak Luthra revealed that while some MC officials did help, the dump was so massive that the residents had to take matters into their own hands. “The officials did offer assistance, but it wasn’t enough. The dump had grown to a size that made it impossible to remove without our own intervention,” he said.

Luthra added that the residents now want to convert the cleared site into a green belt but are unable to proceed without the support of the MC.

Meanwhile, this action comes at a time when politicians are under scrutiny for failing to deliver on promises made during the recent byelection. Local residents said the candidates had pledged to upgrade infrastructure and improve cleanliness in the area, yet no visible action has been taken since the elections concluded.

“We had hope that the byelection would lead to meaningful changes, now feel abandoned by those in power”, they added.