Authorities in J&K use tear gas, pellets to disperse locals protesting against garbage dump

Source: timesnownews.com

Srinagar: Over the past several months, solid waste management has posed several challenges for the people and administration of Jammu and Kashmir. While citizens blame municipal authorities for failing to address the issue effectively, officials with the civic body claim that little is being done on the part of residents to segregate waste at the source.

On Wednesday, state police resorted to using force in order to disperse a group of locals who were protesting against the dumping of waste in Pulwama district. The demonstration was held in Wahibug when residents of the area surrounded a garbage truck heading towards a spot in the area, claiming that civic bodies have been dumping untreated garbage at an unsanctioned site. 

Locals further alleged that police personnel escorting the truck resorted to lathi-charge, fired tear gas shells and even pellets to disperse the crowd. Speaking to Mirror Now, one resident who was part of the protest claimed that the local administration has no solid waste disposal programme. “They should tell us first how they are depositing solid waste at a registered cultivated land,” he says adding that the dumping of garbage near his home poses a severe threat of diseases.

This is not the first time civic bodies in the state have been accused of indulging in unscientific methods of garbage disposal which have turned parts of the scenic valley into a dumping ground. In 2018, residents of Gulmarg had accused the Gulmarg Development Authority of failing to protect the eco-sensitive zone they were in charge of. Locals at the time alleged that tonnes of untreated garbage was being thrown on the snowy slopes of Gulmarg despite clear instructions in this regard by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

In Pahalgam, authorities constructed a waste disposal plant in 2016 at the cost of ₹3 crore. However, garbage was seen strewn around the Lidder river in the area. When confronted, civic body officials claimed that the treatment plant became functional only in March of 2019. A local hotelier had even gone ahead to allege that sewage water was overflowing from manholes and into the river.

A  similar issue had captured public attention in the state capital of Srinagar in February of this year when municipal workers went on strike, claiming that they had not been paid their dues in over six months. Sanitation workers even staged protests demanding their dues. This led to the beautiful lake city turning into a dumping ground for garbage