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Time of India
18-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
As Haryana wildlife department asks for inspection of Bandhwari landfill, activists say ‘just a charade'
Gurgaon: Haryana's wildlife department last week directed its officials to inspect the Bandhwari waste treatment plant and list out all environmental norms that were being violated at the site. It was the fifth notice to be sent in less than 12 months to its officials and MCG, which was granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) in 2019 to operate the plant that lies alongside protected Aravali forests . Currently, most of the space at the site of the treatment plant is taken up by a mountain of garbage. Bandhwari is the only landfill where all municipal waste from Gurgaon and Faridabad is dumped every day even as treatment capacity has lagged. The wildlife department on May 12 issued its latest notice to Gurgaon's wildlife inspector. "…compliance of the conditions mentioned in the granted Wildlife NOC has not been met. You were instructed to conduct an on-site inspection and submit a report on the current status to this office, which has not been received yet," the notice by RK Jangra, wildlife divisional forest officer, read. Environmentalists alleged on Sunday that these notices were "bureaucratic charade" that has permitted authorities to degrade the Aravalis with no punitive action. "This cycle of non-compliance has been going on for years," said Vaishali Rana, an environmental activist. "The wildlife department issues notices, demands inspections, and yet the violations continue unabated. The most concerning aspect is that despite documented evidence of serious environmental infractions, the NOC granted in 2019 remains intact, raising questions about the efficacy of our regulatory framework," Rana said. Since June last year, the department has issued five notices – two of which are addressed to MCG for not complying with environmental norms, and the remaining to wildlife officials to inspect the site for taking action. Despite these letters, the plant's NOC has not been revoked – a move that experts argue should have been done years ago given extensive proof of non-compliance. In Aug 2024, for instance, a department survey found that solid waste from the landfill was obstructing a path, which was a critical access road used for filling water in ponds and patrolling by wildlife officials in the Aravalis. A field officer of the wildlife department told TOI that they "documented" encroachment of the Aravalis by dumping of waste and leachate in the Aug 2024 inspection. "This toxic leachate is infiltrating water sources that wildlife depends on. The potential for mass poisoning of protected species is not just theoretical — it is actively occurring while we exchange paperwork," the official said. "Consumption of this contaminated water by animals could be lethal. We are potentially looking at cascading effects throughout the food chain, yet our warnings seem to disappear into an administrative black hole," said Sunil Harsana, an ecologist. Environmentalists pointed to a pattern of flouting norms. The wildlife department in 2021 found in a survey that MCG's waste concessionaire was "intentionally" spilling thousands of litres of leachate from the landfill on to erstwhile mining pits in the Aravalis of Bandhwari. TOI reported earlier this month that truckers carrying waste to the landfill were seen dumping leachate outside the site to keep a check on dust raked up from their movement. MCG officials last week admitted that this was a "serious lapse" and ordered an inquiry into illegal discharge of leachate on the ground. Asked why the NOC was not revoked in spite of proof of violations, Jangra said he has directed the wildlife inspector to carry out an inspection. "We will take action based on findings of the report. We will also write to the chief wildlife warden of Haryana for action this time," he said. Rana said this was business as usual. "Field officers document violations, divisional officers issue notices, and then the process gets stalled at senior administrative levels. Meanwhile, the Aravalis continue to be poisoned day after day, year after year," she said. Asked about environmental norms, an MCG official said on Sunday that the corporation will "investigate" the matter to determine if there are any encroachments. "Waste processing operations have already begun at the landfill site, managed by two separate agencies. If we identify any unauthorised encouragement or violation, we will take swift action," the official said.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Forest fire rages near Bandhwari, blocked roads hit op to douse it
Gurgaon: A raging fire engulfed forest areas adjoining the Bandhwari landfill, consuming dry wood and kikkar trees in its path, on Monday. Two fire tenders reached the spot and tried to douse the fire that started around 3.40pm. It has been difficult to douse the fire as it spread inside the forest and the road has been blocked by MCG. "We received information about a fire in the Bandhwari forest area at 4.15pm. Initially, two fire tenders were sent and then five were deployed to extinguish the blaze," deputy director (technical) of fire department Gulshan Kalra said. The forest department said it has sent a team to investigate the incident. The firefighters were still trying to control the blaze till the time of filing the report. The blaze, suspected to be a deliberate act to clear the forest for potential land occupation, sparked outrage among environmentalists and local residents. Trustee of Aravallis Bachao Citizens Movement Vaishali Rana said, "This is the second fire in the Aravalis this month. There was a fire in the forest adjoining Bandhwari Landfill on April 3 too. This looks like a nefarious plan of somebody to occupy more space." "Fire engines cannot reach the back side of the landfill, where the forest fire is raging because MCG has blocked the revenue road with tonnes of municipal waste, which leads to the forest. I have been demanding the forest dept to demarcate their area and penalise MCG for occupying more forest area than what was sanctioned to them and the wildlife department to cancel MCG's Wildlife NOC, but no concrete steps have been taken so far," Rana said. Commuters and residents had a tough time on Monday afternoon as a toxic smoke billowed from the forest and enveloped the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, leading to low visibility and breathing issues. The thick, toxic smoke from the forest fire made it almost impossible to see the road ahead. Om Vir, a daily commuter on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, said, "Breathing was difficult and the 2km-stretch journey felt like navigating through a hazardous maze. It was a truly harrowing experience." The forest department said it might be a fire because of the waste dumping in the forest. "A team has been sent to investigate the matter, but prima facie it doesn't look like a forest fire," divisional forest officer (Gurgaon) Raj Kumar said. Joint commissioner for Swachh Bharat Mission (MCG) Akhilesh Kumar Yadav could not be reached.
