Siliguri, Aug. 19: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) will shift its dumping ground, located by the Eastern Bypass, to Putimari near Fulbari by January.

The civic body has taken the decision following the development of the areas adjacent to the dumpyard and numerous requests from the residents. “We are planning to set up a new dumping ground on 32 acres of land owned by the SMC at Putimari, about 7km from here,” said Mukul Sengupta, the member mayor-in-council (conservancy).

The present dumping ground, close to Second Mile and Sevoke Road, is spread over 22 acres and it is almost full, said Sengupta. Another factor, which forced the civic body to look for the new dumpyard, is the rapid pace of development being witnessed in the area along the bypass.

“The SMC has been using the present dumping ground for over 30 years. As a number of schools, housing complexes and shopping malls have come up in the area and the population there has also increased, we have decided to find a new place for the disposal of garbage,” said the member mayor-in-council.

The civic body has sanctioned Rs 60 lakh for electrification and the construction of a road to the new dumping ground and a boundary wall.

The Bengal urban development and municipal affairs minister, Asok Bhattacharya, has welcomed the move. He said over the phone from Calcutta that once the dumping ground was shifted, the vacant plot could be utilised for a different project.