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The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
TNPCB levies ₹3.15 crore fine on Tiruppur Corporation for dumping wastes in abandoned quarry at Pongupalayam village
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has assessed payment of fine to the extent of ₹3.15 crore by the Tiruppur Corporation for failing to adhere to the directive of the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone) to stop dumping of untreated municipal wastes at an abandoned quarry at Kalamapalayam in Pongupalayam village in Tiruppur North Taluk. A petition submitted to the NGT (SZ) by Satishkumar R., environmental activist of Pongupalayam, held the District Collector, the TNPCB, Tiruppur Corporation and Srinivas Waste Management Services (P) Ltd. responsible for the dumping of unsegregated wastes in the abandoned quarry, by flouting an earlier order of the NGT (SZ). Based on an inspection carried out on July 4, District Environmental Engineer, Tiruppur North, S. Bharathiraja, in his report submitted before Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Judicial Member, and Satyagopal Korlapati, Expert Member, on July 16, said the Tiruppur Corporation and the private entity had been directed to remove the wastes dumped, and undertake comprehensive clean up and remediation. The TNPCB report also directed the respondents to identify a legally compliant site for establishment of a municipal solid waste management-cum-disposal facility, and dispose wastes in strict compliance with the law. According to the report, the Tiruppur Corporation had continued dumping of unsegregated municipal solid waste in the quarry in Survey 206 against the order of NGT SZ dated January 31, 2025. As the quarry had got filled, the local body capped the dumped quarry with a layer of sand. The civic body was subsequently continuing the dumping / firing of the wastes at another abandoned quarry on south-eastern side of the capped quarry. During inspection, smoke was also observed emanating from the dump site, the report said. The Corporation had not obtained necessary authorisation under SWM Rules 2016, and the violation required the local body to pay compensation of ₹5 lakh per month, from April, 2021, which amounts to ₹3.15 crore till June 30, the TNPCB report said.
Mint
22-07-2025
- Mint
Garbage piles up in Gurugram after mass exodus of workers: ‘A collapse years in making'
Gurugram's waste management system is nearing collapse after a mass exodus of domestic and sanitation workers, allegedly driven by a police verification and detention drive targeting suspected illegal immigrants. With hundreds of informal workers fleeing the city in recent days, the fallout has been swift: door-to-door waste collection has halted across several sectors, streets are overflowing with unsegregated garbage, and housing societies are scrambling to manage trash with ad hoc arrangements. The panic is palpable, with residents and activists attributing the mass exodus to a wave of detentions reportedly targeting Bengali-speaking informal workers. From Sectors 103 and 57 to Palam Vihar, Golf Course Extension Road, and Gurugram-Faridabad Road, mounds of waste line the streets, raising fears of a looming public health emergency. Civic volunteers and residents say the absence of trained sanitation staff has left them no option but to hire tractor-trolleys for waste disposal - often leading to indiscriminate dumping without segregation. 'They didn't even inform us. Many just vanished overnight out of fear,' Richa Vohra, a waste volunteer from Sector 57 told HT. Between July 13 and 21, at least 100 individuals - many employed as house helps or garbage collectors - were allegedly detained by police. According to residents, five were later released after reportedly being told to board trains to Assam. The status of the others remains unclear. Families say most of those detained are Indian citizens, some of whom have lived in Gurugram for over five years. 'They were not even allowed to go home and fetch their Aadhaar cards. The police just dragged them into vans,' a relative of 45-year-old garbage collector Anwar Hussain was quoted as saying by HT. Activists and experts argue the situation is a direct result of systemic negligence by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). 'Gurgaon's waste services have catastrophically failed,' said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Citizens for Clean Air. 'MCG's disregard for SWM Rules 2016 and failure to institutionalise waste workers has brought the system to its knees.' Takkar said citizen groups have already submitted a representation to MCG and the deputy commissioner, demanding an emergency contingency plan that includes temporary dry waste depots, immediate public communication, and interim collection arrangements. 'This is not a sudden crisis,' said waste management expert Kusum Sharma. 'This is a collapse years in the making. Had MCG followed SWM norms—created dry waste centres, enforced source segregation, and integrated informal workers—this situation could have been averted. Now, the city is entirely dependent on a workforce that is being criminalised.' While citizens struggle to bridge the gap, officials have remained largely silent until now. MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya admitted the city's operations had been hit hard. 'Most of the drivers and waste collectors are migratory workers, and their going away will affect our operations. We're working with senior officials and the chief minister to find alternatives and minimise disruption,' he said. But activists say the crisis extends beyond civic breakdown. 'This isn't just about garbage,' said Takkar. 'It's about the collapse of the invisible economy that keeps the city running. Without a humanitarian plan, the infrastructure will collapse.' In Palam Vihar and other sectors, residents report migrants approaching them for help, fearing harassment despite having valid documentation. 'They're being targeted for their identity,' said one resident. 'Even those with ration cards and Aadhaar are being treated like criminals. This is inhuman.' Rahul Khera, a Sector 54 resident and social sector expert, noted that although four new private agencies have been hired by the MCG, 'regardless of who's collecting the waste, it's migrant labour doing the job. They make up 100% of the city's frontline waste workforce. If they leave, this city will shut down.' He stressed the need for reforms but condemned the current approach. 'Even immigrants with valid documentation are afraid. This isn't governance—it's fear mongering.' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Dr Arpit Jain said the verification drive was being conducted per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines, with a focus on suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. 'Details of any suspect are sent to the home secretary, district magistrate, or deputy commissioner of the concerned state for verification. If the report is negative, we initiate deportation proceedings with help from the central government, after placing the individual in a holding area. If the report confirms Indian citizenship, the person is released,' Jain said. He confirmed that even those with Aadhaar and other documents are being held temporarily until their credentials are verified by state authorities. 'We are ensuring that no genuine citizen faces unnecessary harassment.' However, police have refused to disclose the locations of the four holding centres or the number of individuals currently detained or deported, citing security reasons.
Hindustan Times
22-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Gurugram sinks in garbage as sanitation workers flee
Gurugram's gated luxury and glassy towers now stand amid rotting garbage. A quiet exodus is unfolding beneath the city's gleaming skyline, one that threatens to paralyse its already fragile waste management system. Housing societies are hiring tractor-trolleys to transport waste to dumping points, often without trained staff or segregation systems—resulting in indiscriminate dumping that threatens to tip Gurugram into a full-blown health emergency. (HT PHOTO) Hundreds of domestic workers and sanitation staff—many of them Bengali-speaking migrants—have fled the city in recent days, gripped by fear amid a police verification and detention drive. The fallout is swift and visible -- garbage piling up in residential sectors, door-to-door collection systems collapsing, and residents scrambling to manage waste on their own. From Sector 103 to Palam Vihar, Sectors 56, 57, Golf Course Extension Road, Gurugram-Faridabad Road, Sector 29 and new developing sectors, streets are lined with garbage bags. Housing societies are hiring tractor-trolleys to transport waste to dumping points, often without trained staff or segregation systems—resulting in indiscriminate dumping that threatens to tip Gurugram into a full-blown health emergency. 'They didn't even inform us. Many just vanished overnight out of fear,' said Richa Vohra, a waste volunteer in Sector 57. The sense of panic is real. Residents and activists say the mass departure stems from a series of detentions targeting Bengali-speaking informal workers. Between July 13 and 21, at least 100 individuals—many employed as house helps or garbage collectors—were allegedly picked up by police. Five were later released, reportedly after being instructed to board trains to Assam. The status of the others remains unclear. 'They were not even allowed to go home and fetch their Aadhaar cards. The police just dragged them into vans,' said a relative of 45-year-old garbage collector Anwar Hussain, whose family members were among those detained. According to residents, the detainees are Indian citizens—some of whom have lived in Gurugram for more than five years. Their only apparent offence: the language they speak and the region they come from. The immediate fallout has been devastating. Gurugram's door-to-door garbage collection, largely run by informal workers subcontracted by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), has collapsed across multiple neighbourhoods. 'Gurgaon's waste services have catastrophically failed,' said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Citizens for Clean Air. 'MCG's disregard for SWM Rules 2016 and failure to institutionalise waste workers has brought the system to its knees. Indiscriminate dumping and burning are on the rise.' Takkar said that citizen groups have submitted a representation to the MCG and deputy commissioner, demanding an emergency contingency plan. Key asks include temporary dry waste depots, immediate public communication, and stopgap arrangements for daily waste collection. Residents say that without a trained workforce, housing societies are forced to dump unsegregated waste—raising alarms over long-term damage to air, soil, and water. 'This is not a sudden crisis,' said Kusum Sharma, a waste management expert. 'This is a collapse years in the making. Had MCG followed SWM norms—created dry waste centres, enforced source segregation, and integrated informal workers—this situation could have been averted.' She added: 'Now, the city is entirely dependent on a workforce that is being criminalised.' With official systems in paralysis, residents' associations are stepping into the administrative void. Why Waste Your Waste and Citizens for Clean Air submitted a detailed memorandum to MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya on Monday, warning of a potential public health disaster. 'MCG has no tracking of who handles what waste. Had these workers been integrated, this collapse could have been prevented,' the letter states. It calls for ward-level composting, private tie-ups for wet waste, and clear public messaging. Parimal Bardhan, a DLF Phase 1 resident and social sector expert, said: 'Door-to-door collection is a legal responsibility under the SWM Rules. Abandoning it is both illegal and dangerous.' After days of silence, the MCG finally responded. 'Most of the drivers and waste collectors are migratory workers, and their going away will affect our operations,' said commissioner Dahiya. 'We're working with senior officials and the chief minister to find alternatives and minimise disruption.' But beyond civic collapse lies a deeper humanitarian crisis. Entire livelihoods—of cooks, drivers, cleaners—are disappearing. 'This isn't just about garbage,' said Takkar. 'It's about the collapse of the invisible economy that keeps the city running. Without a humanitarian plan, the infrastructure will collapse.' In Palam Vihar, residents say several migrants have approached them for help. 'They're being targeted for their identity,' said one resident. 'Even those with ration cards and Aadhaar are being treated like criminals. This is inhuman.' Rahul Khera, a resident of Sector 54, warned that Gurugram is already mid-transition, with four new private agencies recently hired by the MCG. But the ground reality hasn't changed. 'Regardless of who's collecting the waste, it's migrant labour doing the job. They make up 100% of the city's frontline waste workforce,' he said. 'If they leave, this city will shut down.' He acknowledged the need to address illegal immigration but criticised the execution. 'Even immigrants with valid documentation are afraid. This isn't governance—it's fear mongering.' Dr Arpit Jain, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), said the verification drive was being conducted in strict adherence to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) guidelines, with a focus on suspected illegal immigrants, particularly from Bangladesh. 'Details of any suspect are sent to the home secretary, district magistrate, or deputy commissioner of the concerned state for verification. If the report is negative, we initiate deportation proceedings with help from the central government, after placing the individual in a holding area. If the report confirms Indian citizenship, the person is released,' Jain said. He admitted that even those with Aadhaar and other government-issued documents are being held in temporary detention centres until their credentials are verified by the state. 'We are ensuring that no genuine citizen faces unnecessary harassment,' he said. The police refused to disclose the locations of the four holding centres set up across Gurugram, citing security concerns. They also declined to share the number of individuals currently detained or deported. The crisis has exposed the structural fault lines beneath Gurugram's glass-and-concrete image. While the city advertises itself as a smart urban hub and an investment magnet, its daily functioning hinges on the labour of people it has never formally acknowledged or protected. Unless urgent humanitarian and systemic reforms are undertaken, Gurugram risks not just a sanitation disaster—but a moral reckoning with the unsustainable foundations of its urban promise.
