‘Stench, suffering’: HC observer underscores residents’ struggle

Chandigarh: Advocate Tanu Bedi, the specially appointed Punjab and Haryana high court commissioner, has submitted a detailed five-page report exposing the current physical state of the Dadumajra dumping site.The report, presented following a structured, stepwise inspection, outlines severe environmental and operational lapses at the facility. The high court has scheduled the next hearing on the matter for July 16.The commissioner’s assessment divided the inspection into three distinct phases: before reaching the ground, at the ground, and at the middle of the ground. While the front area near the entrance appeared relatively clean due to municipal workers using water pipes to create an air mist to settle fresh soil and control odour, a walk across the terrain revealed massive accumulation of plastic, clothes, slippers, and polythene bags stuck in the earth.The most critical findings emerged from the middle of the dumping ground. The report confirms that massive mounds of legacy solid waste remain piled up in this zone, emitting an “obnoxious, intolerable stench” that completely bypassed the entrance-level masking measures.Clean front but 20-metre trash mound at the back“The views captured through the photos clicked and video made from the rooftop of one house depicted several garbage piles scattered near the residential area of the Dadumajra colony. The ground level at the dumping ground is at the wall height—approximately 20 metres—from the ground level of the adjoining street,” the high court commissioner’s report states.Beyond the structural crisis, the visual inspection recorded a severe humanitarian toll on the neighbouring population living directly along the dump’s perimeter.“It was very difficult to walk in the area at that time because of swarms of flies, and it was so painful to watch people preparing and eating their meals in such an environment. Having the honour of being appointed by the court to carry out this very important task... I realise the gravity of an issue which concerns not only health and the environment, but also compromises the dignity of individuals who are forced to live next to the refuse of the entire city,” the report adds.Currently, the Chandigarh municipal corporation is attempting to cover this scattered garbage with thick layers of regular soil, particularly near adjacent residential properties, though the commissioner noted that the material does not resemble bio-soil or refuse derived fuel (RDF).To address the slow pace of garbage clearance, the commissioner held an on-site stakeholder meeting inside a temporary tent near the entrance. Officials, the petitioner-in-person advocate Amit Sharma, and affected local residents exchanged suggestions to expedite waste removal from areas closest to the houses to minimise health hazards.The Chandigarh Administration provided a drone to capture a 90-second aerial video of the entire dumping perimeter, validating the stark contrast between the partially treated front sector and the heavily burdened rear area.Following stakeholder consensus, a targeted cleanup operation was scheduled for completion by June 5, allowing for a symbolic plantation drive to mark World Environment Day.