L-G bans waste dumping at Ghazipur, Bhalaswa

A day after a portion of the nearly 60 m tall Ghazipur landfill site caved in, Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Saturday banned dumping of garbage at the site with immediate effect. Baijal also assured that scientists and experts will be engaged to clear the dumping ground within two years. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met the L-G to take stock of the situation.

New sites have been identified for dumping waste in both east and north Delhi, including one at Ranikheda.

"Fresh sites for dumping waste have been identified. Waste will not be dumped at the Ghazipur and the Bhalaswa landfill sites anymore," Kejriwal said.

Meanwhile, even as the rescue operations were still on, civic agencies and the government continued to pass the buck to one another. The civic bodies claimed that they had been asking for land to establish new sites since 2002 and had "no option left but to dump on existing sites". The government, however, claimed that the corporations did not take the issue of waste management seriously.

As an emergency measure, the L-G has directed the authorities to divert traffic on the road adjoining the landfill. As of now, the stretch has been shut. Baijal also assured that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will lift 75 per cent of the waste from the Ghazipur landfill on a fast-track basis. The garbage will be used to lay roads, especially the NH-24.

"The process of lifting, segregating, and processing the solid waste will be started by November 2017. The process will be fast-tracked and the landfill will be cleared within two years," Baijal tweeted.

According to officials, the tender for the project at the Ghazipur site has been floated, while the NHAI has started lifting waste from the Bhalaswa landfill.

Box: East Delhi mayor announces relief of Rs 1L

A day after the landfill collapse in Ghazipur, east Delhi Mayor Neema Bhagat on Saturday announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to families of the deceased. Due to the heavy rains in the city, a portion of the 60-metre high garbage dump had caved in on Friday. Raj Kumari, 32, and Abhishek, 22, died on the spot, while five were seriously injured.