Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has issued a show-cause notice to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) asking it to explain the “garbage mountain” located within 200m of Dhoraji Society in the Pirana area, citing serious deficiencies in the handling and disposal of solid waste.The regulatory action follows a site inspection carried out by the GPCB after a formal complaint was submitted on Dec 30 last year by local resident Mohammad Kaleem Siddiqui. The matter gained urgency after the office of the minister for forest, environment and climate change directed the pollution watchdog on Jan 5 to probe the alleged environmental hazard, according to the show-cause notice.
Subsequently, the GPCB’s Ahmedabad city regional office conducted a field inspection on Jan 8. The inspection report flagged lapses in compliance with solid waste management norms at the site, prompting the Board to initiate legal proceedings under prevailing environmental laws. The GPCB has asked the civic body to respond to the notice and outline corrective measures to address the deficiencies and prevent further environmental damage.According to Siddiqui, AMC has been telling various courts that the Pirana garbage mound was to be reduced to zero by 2021. “However, more than six years after the deadline, not even 50% of the work has been completed,” he said. Local residents alleged that waste has been removed only from the side facing the national highway and the main road leading to Pirana, while the garbage pile on the residential side continues to grow.In a letter dated Feb 21, A J Patel, executive engineer and unit head for municipal solid waste (MSW), confirmed that the AMC has been directed to ensure “scientific disposal” of the accumulated waste at the site. Besides Dhoraji Society, several other residential units are located in close proximity to the dump yard, raising concerns among residents over potential health and environmental risks.
