This stinks

Sept. 7: Employees of Tezpur Akashvani Kendra and residents of the surrounding areas need no longer worry about being overpowered by the stench emanating from the dumping ground at Morabhorolu. Deluged by complaints, the municipal board has decided to shift the dumping site to Rajbhoral, nearly 7 km away.

Apart from the stink, the dumping ground’s proximity to the Morabhorolu river and a cremation ground had raised fears of environmental pollution. “It is a breeding ground for poisonous insects,” a resident complained.

The Union urban development ministry has already assigned the task of executing a solid waste management project with a Rs 70-crore budget to the National Building Construction Corporation Ltd. Ministry officials reviewed the status of solid waste management project for Tezpur during a meeting in New Delhi on August 28. The detailed project report compiled by the board was also discussed.

Tapan Ganguli, the vice-chairman of the Tezpur Municipal Board, and the chairperson of the Tezpur Development Authority represented the civic body at the meeting.

Allaying apprehension of the project going the way of many other incomplete schemes, Ganguli said the plan had been drawn up after much thought and chances of failure were minimal. A writ petition had been filed with Gauhati High Court by a section of residents of Rajbhoral, objecting to the project. The court was, however, convinced by the municipal board’s contention that it would not pollute the neighbourhood.

Returning from New Delhi on Wednesday, Ganguly said the blueprint for the project had been drafted by Hudco in consultation with a Hyderabad-based company and a team from the urban development ministry would inspect the site. Construction of infrastructure on the 20-bigha plot is expected to begin in the first week of October.

“Solid waste will be disposed in a scientific manner. Plastics will be put into an incinerator to prevent environmental pollution. The project will also generate bio-products out of animal carcasses,” he added.