Urban News

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is now finding it difficult to sell the land to potential buyers.

Officials in HUDA say that as soon as the dumping site is shifted to another place, the land would be up for bidding. They, however, maintain that the primary reason for delay in putting up for auction is the wasteland it has been converted into.

“We need some vacant land to shift this garbage site. Once that is finalised, the area would be auctioned for a five-star hotel. We are unable to put it up for sale in the existing scenario,” said an official.

He, however, expressed hope that the auction would be held within a year.

The dumping ground, meanwhile, has become a headache for residents as they complain of the same being a breeding ground of mosquitoes.

Apart from writing to the administration and other civic bodies to change the site, residents have had arguments with MC officials in the past when they had come to unload waste.

The civic bodies, including HUDA, were also rapped by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board for not shifting the site inspite of numerous reminders and causing trouble to residents.

Any material that floats ashore will have to be removed immediately from the city’s beaches, the BMC has instructed the authorities all wards. The fear is that slumdwellers will pick up such materials, including biscuit packets that may then find their way into various households.

“We have directed all zonal deputy municipal commissioners and assistant municipal commissioners to remove floating material immediately by deploying special staff,” said Mahesh Narvekar, chief of the BMC’s disaster management cell. “We have also suggested they should burn the floating material wherever possible,” said Narvekar.

“These floating materials such as biscuit packets on the shores are mostly being collected by the slum population,” said Narvekar.

Senior officials have also been directed to report the sighting of all containers to the Directorate General of Shipping.

Fish affected by the spill have been found off the coast and the government has asked the BMC to check daily and submit reports. “On Monday, we had informed the public to check before they consume any fish products,” said Narvekar.

The BMC has banned local fishing till the situation improves, and stopped their sale in municipal markets. It has collected samples of small fish from all beaches.

Big fish in the city come from Orissa, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh; smaller varieties such as bombil and mandeli, as well as clams and prawns, are fished and sold locally. “Since oil has been found in areas close to the coast off Colaba, we thought it important to ascertain the fish from this area is safe. We have sent samples to our lab; till then, we have issued a directive to all municipal markets to stop sale of local fish,” said Deepak Kamat, assistant commissioner (markets).

 Rambhau Patil, member of the Maharashtra Machchimar Kruti Samiti, said marine life has clearly been affected. “It may be harmful to consume fish affected by the spill. We will direct our fisherfolk to not sell fish they find dead or affected by the oil.”