Bhubaneswar: Intensifying their agitation against the alleged illegal garbage dumping yard near Sainik School in the city, members of the ‘Save Sainik School and Remove Garbage Dump’ campaign announced a sit-in protest in front of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) offi ce January 27.
At a meeting held recently, members of the outfit expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as prolonged inaction by authorities regarding the Gadakana dumping yard, which they allege has been operating illegally and causing severe environmental and health hazards for over a decade.
Despite sustained efforts over a long period—including demonstrations, protests, strikes, and hunger fasts— Odisha State Pollution Control Board has only recently issued a warning letter to BMC, granting it time to take corrective measures.
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The activists criticised the board for merely issuing a cautionary notice instead of imposing penalties or initiating strict action against the civic body.
The campaign stated that it has now written to the BMC Commissioner, giving a seven-day ultimatum to resolve the issue.
Failing this, the organisation said it would go ahead with the planned protest. Some of the key demands placed by the campaign includes immediate and complete closure of the Temporary Transit Station (TTS) or dumping yard, or a permanent relocation of the facility, with no further dumping until relocation is completed.
The outfit also demanded a neutral, on-ground investigation at the Gadakana dumping site within seven days, involving campaign representatives, affected residents, members of civil society and health experts.
The organisation further sought adequate and exemplary compensation for individuals who have lost their lives or suffered serious illnesses due to air and water pollution allegedly caused by the dumping yard over the past 15 years.
It also demanded that environmental compensation and fines be imposed on BMC as per pollution control norms, calculated on an hourly basis for the duration of the illegal dumping.
In a significant demand, the campaign called for the recovery of the entire compensation amount personally from former BMC commissioners who were in charge during different periods when the violations allegedly occurred.
The activists argued that any penalty paid by BMC would ultimately come from public tax money, and hence accountability should be fixed on the officials responsible at the time.