IMPHAL, October 15: Local residents staged a protest meeting against the failure of the Imphal Municipal Council to stop dumping garbage at the fields near Langol National Games Village since 2008.
One of the protestors who identified himself as S Rajen said following repeated complaints, the IMC had on July 29, 2011 penned an agreement with the All Community Welfare Association located at Langol Games Village and its surrounding areas assuring shifting of the dumping site by the end of January, 2012. However, the promises remain to be affected till date.
To protest the administration’s inaction, locals held a meeting at the Langol National Games Village.
Speaking to media persons on the sideline of the meeting, Rajen said the locals had stopped dumping of garbage at the site since October 12, 2013.
Earlier on July 29, 2011, a team of the IMC headed by the Chairperson and members of the ACWA had met and agreed on five points demand which include spreading sand over the garbage and leveling the ground; construction of ring bandh by the IMC to stop overflowing of the rotten and filthy liquids from the site; spraying of chemicals by IMC inside the dumping site.
He said the IMC is yet to take action on the agreements signed.
The manner of dumping garbage at the present is conducted in a rather primitive and unscientific manner, he claimed adding that unhygienic and unwanted smells had spread from the site and affected the people of the area, he said.
He continued that the loaded vehicles with garbage sometimes fail to even reach upto the dumping site and dump the contents along the roadside. During the rainy season, all unwanted things are scattered around the road and the water bodies and the paddy fields remained polluted.
The games village was constructed during the 5th National Games and was totally pollution free at the time. However, unfortunately, the area has been chosen as a dumping site, he lamented.