ITANAGAR, 16 Feb: The Arunachal Pradesh Swachh Abhiyan Sangh (APSAS) has lodged a complaint with the urban development department, alleging serious health and environmental hazards caused by improper garbage disposal at Chimpu near here.
The organisation has urged the government to relocate the dumping site to the designated area within 30 days, cautioning that failure to act may compel it to launch “democratic forms of protest” to safeguard the interests of the local residents.
Addressing reporters, APSAS general secretary Tatung Taje said that the representation was submitted to the urban development commissioner, highlighting that residents living near the existing garbage dumping ground and the adjacent cremation and burial site in Chimpu are being exposed to hazardous waste due to mismanagement and violation of prescribed health and safety norms.
The sangh claimed that, despite repeated appeals for relocation of the dumping ground and shifting of the burial site, no concrete action had been taken by the authorities. It further alleged that, although the government had earmarked around 30,000 square metres of land for urban solid waste management for a period of 25 years, garbage is being dumped outside the notified area and within Chimpu locality.
“Such practices are in violation of standard operating procedures for urban waste disposal and pose a serious threat to public health, sanitation, and environmental safety,” Taje said, demanding immediate intervention by the department concerned.
He stressed that urgent steps are necessary to uphold public health standards and ensure proper management of urban waste in the capital region.
