Chandigarh: Residents of trans-Ghaggar sectors of Panchkula have decided to boycott the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. They have demanded removal of garbage from the Jhuriwala dumping site and marking another place for dumping. Members of the Sangram Jhuriwala dumping ground committee said that over 400 families that make up the committee have taken a collective decision. After holding meetings with locals, the municipal corporation has also started exploring the idea of setting up Material Recovery Facility (MRF) centres across the city to decentralise the Jhuriwala dumping ground and set up new centres in different wards. Residents said they have decided to boycott the election because their most important concern has not been addressed. Advocate Nitesh Mittal, a resident of Sector 25, said, “The Panchkula Municipal Corporation has failed to address our long-standing concern about the Jhuriwala dump. It keeps bringing garbage from the entire city to this site, while the foul smell emanating from the waste makes our lives miserable. We wrote to the corporation, held several meetings and even protested outside its office, but to no avail.” Mittal said more than 400 families are associated with the committee formed to clear the garbage dump. “All these families have decided to boycott the elections, as the state government has failed to resolve our issue,” he said. Another resident, Mohit Gupta, acknowledged the efforts of the municipal corporation, but stressed the need for a time-bound solution. “It is not that the municipal corporation is not doing anything. They are fencing the dumping site and clearing the stagnant water,” Gupta said. However, we want timely action regarding the garbage collection process, as it can pose several health hazards to residents.” The committee members said they also held a meeting with municipal officials on the matter yesterday. The meeting was attended by officials including municipal commissioner Sachin Gupta, joint commissioner Simranjit Kaur, CSI Avinash Singla and XEN Harish. The officials proposed setting up MRF centres in all 20 wards and decentralising the Jhuriwala dumping ground. The affected residents have said that if the civic body fails to address the issue, they will file an application in the National Green Tribunal for appropriate action and penalty against the officials.
Chandigarh: More than 400 families threatened to boycott
