We will not protect Deonar dump: State Reserve Police Force

Closure of the Deonar dumping ground is turning out to be tougher than the BMC thought as workers involved are being heckled, threatened and even beaten up by anti-social elements at the site. Adding insult to injury is the refusal by the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) to provide jawans to patrol the ground.

The civic body had started a scientific closure of the grounds a couple of months ago. It had appointed Tatva Global Environment Ltd to carry out the work of partial closure and maintenance of the dump on a design-build-own-operate-transfer (DBOOT) model. The project is expected to take two years.

But work is being hindered by antisocial elements and rag-pickers. Recently, civic officials and an engineer were assaulted by goons.

Even the project to construct a protective wall around the ground has been stalled due to protests by locals. The wall is necessary for the scientific closure of the dump. Work on it is being regularly disrupted as it will end access of anti-social elements to the site, sources said.

An official from the BMC’s solid waste management department said anti-social elements run illegal businesses at the dumping site while rag-pickers’ livelihood depends on the dump. “Once the boundary wall is completed, their businesses will end,” the official said.

Last month, additional municipal commissioner R A Rajeev had written to AV Parasnis, additional director-general of police, SRPF, requesting security for the ground.

Civic sources said SRPF had replied saying they were unable to provide jawans. The SRPF did not state their reasons for refusal, but BMC thinks it could be due to technical reasons. Tatva Global Environment had said it was prepared to pay for security, sources said.