Residents living around the dumpyard have been complaining of breathing troubles amid a thick blanket of smoke that is engulfing the entire area. Meanwhile, there were no casualties reported in the case.
New Delhi: Smoke continued to billow from the Ghazipur landfill on the third consecutive day on Wednesday as the flames are yet to bring under control. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the government has directed DPCC to impose a fine of Rs 50 lakh on East Delhi Municipal Corportation and take action against the on-duty corporation employees and officers at the time of the incident.
Rai said that a joint meeting of the Environment Department, PWD, DDA, MCD, NDMC, Fire Department and Delhi Cantonment Board will be held at the secretariat to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
On Monday, the fire department had said that they received a call around 2:30 pm about the fire. On Tuesday morning, the fire department informed that tenders were pressed into action but the flames are yet to be brought under control and the Delhi Police filed a case under several sections against unknown persons.
Residents living around the dumpyard have been complaining of breathing troubles amid a thick blanket of smoke that is engulfing the entire area. Meanwhile, there were no casualties reported in the case.
It may be noted that this is not the first time fire has caught in the garbage pile-ups. In March 2021, when a fire had broken out at the mounds of garbage, people living around the site were in a similar fix like today. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) blames the BJP government’s role in delaying the MCD polls in Delhi as a major reason behind the deepening crisis, it is important to note that back in 2017, a portion of a garbage pile had collapsed killing two people.
The Ghazipur landfill site was commissioned by the Delhi government in 1984, it’s capacity had crossed way back in 2002 but no government has done anything till date to resolve the issue, which is a constant concern not only as a health hazard but also as an environmental crisis.
