Bhubaneswar, June 3: A section of villagers, spearheading an agitation against the Bhuasuni dumping ground and the proposed waste-to-energy plant there, today met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his intervention on the matter.

The move is being seen as a further setback for the much-hyped project.

The 10-member delegation, led by newly elected panchayat samiti chairman Abinash Pattnaik, called on the chief minister at Naveen Nivas at 11am and submitted a memorandum to him, requesting the shifting of the dumping ground and the proposed waste-to-energy plant to a location about 4km from the present site.

"We have submitted the memorandum and requested the chief minister to take immediate steps for the greater benefits of the people. The chief minister assured us of all help and said the civic body would be asked to resolve the issue keeping in view the interest of the villagers," said Pattnaik.

The 10 representatives hailed from neighbouring villages of Chandaka, Andharua, Kantabada, Malipada and Mendhasala.

"The meeting with the chief minister went on for nearly an hour, during which he listened to all problems we are facing because of the hazardous practice of garbage dumping at Bhuasuni," said a representative.

The National Green Tribunal has recently asked the Odisha State Pollution Control Board to hold a public hearing on the dumping ground issue at Chandaka. The hearing is scheduled on June 6, while the final verdict on the issue will come up on July 31.

The Bhuasuni dumping ground issue has been troubling the city administration for the past eight years. The villagers of nearby Daruthenga had been opposing dumping of garbage there, alleging that it was exposing them to several health risks as the civic body "doesn't practice scientific disposal of waste".

"We have been suffering from severe air pollution when the civic officials burn the waste during the summer. During rains, the wastewater pollutes groundwater - which exposes us to many deadly diseases," said former sarpanch of the village Prasant Routray.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, however, denied such allegations. "The villagers are unnecessarily making it an issue. Once the waste-to-energy plant comes up, all problems of not only the villages, but also the entire city will be resolved," said Jena.