Garbage being dumped inside colony despite Allahabad High Court’s order’

Meerut: Despite the Allahabad High Court’s orders to formulate an action plan to resolve the issue of garbage mounds near an ashram housing over 100 leprosy patients, the Meerut Municipal Corporation (MMC) continues to throw garbage inside the colony. Residents are irritated by the regular dumping of garbage at various places in the colony. They alleged that trucks of the civic body on Wednesday dumped garbage inside the colony, damaging a wall in the process.

Shri Vivekanand Kusth Ashram, located on Delhi Road outside the city limits, was built in 1947. In all, 105 leprosy patients live in the ashram. Over the years, MMC used the vicinity of the ashram as dumping ground for city waste. Now, the ashram is surrounded by multiple mounds of garbage that pose health hazard to the patients. Besides, the link road leading to the ashram is also full of potholes.

“They have been dumping garbage all around the colony for a very long time. But today they dumped garbage inside the colony. This has happened for the first time. They even broke a wall in the process,” said Bairagi (who goes by his first name), manager of the ashram.

“It is extremely difficult to live here. The passage leading to the ashram is completely filled with garbage. Even inside the ashram the stench is unbearable and there are mosquitoes and flies due to the garbage. The dreaded disease has already consumed our bodies in varying degrees and this garbage only makes matters worse," added Bairagi.

According to Bairagi, multiple applications and petitions were sent to the nagar nigam in the past six years, but no action was taken by the civic authority. Eventually, Bairagi filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court on May 18, in which he petitioned the court to “issue a mandamus (ordering a person to perform a public duty) to direct the authorities to remove mounds of garbage in the vicinity of the colony”.

“The court has taken note of the problem and has directed the MMC to resolve the issue soon. The court has also said that the health of the residents cannot be compromised and the MMC must come up with an action plan. But, they have not done anything about it," said Lokesh Khurana, an RTI activist.

Meanwhile, the MMC remained defiant. “No wall has been broken and the place is a municipal garbage dump. Please suggest some other place where we can dump garbage,” said Kunwar Sen, health officer, MMC.