The Hindu 22.03.2016
Deonar fire could be sabotage, says BMC
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced imposition of prohibitory orders in areas around the Deonar dumping ground following fears that the raging fire at the waste site could have been a case of sabotage.
Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said on Monday that the process to initiate prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to regulate law and order will begin soon, even if it means regulating rag-pickers and free movement of residents in and around the waste site.
Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar termed the toxic fumes emanating from the fire as “a serious issue” and said a two-member special team will be sent to investigate the incident. Mr Javadekar, who held a telephonic conversation with Mr Mehta on the issue, blamed the fire on the “callousness” of the contractors in charge of managing the dump yard, and said action will be taken against the violators.
However, Mr Mehta said so far there was no concrete case of action taken against the contractor.
“We want to send out a strong message that a waste yard cannot be treated as a free moving thoroughfare by anyone. We fear sabotage, and have registered a case with the local police in this regard,” he said.
This is not the first time the Deonar dumping ground has seen a major fire. This year alone, fire has raged several times, and in February the impact could be seen across the city, which was covered with a thick layer of haze and smog for several days. Pollution levels rose, and medical practitioners reported a spike in pulmonary problems resulting directly or indirectly from the fire.
Over this last weekend, another fire started, engulfing the residential areas in the vicinity with a thick cloud of haze and smog. The municipal corporation said the fire started on Sunday and was doused with the help of water-cooling and fire safety measures on Monday morning. However, residents said the after effects of the fire could be felt by the locals for many days.
The BMC said it has deployed 70 firemen and four fire engines to the site. It has been dumping debris over the garbage to restrict the emission of methane gas.
The corporation, Mr Mehta claimed, has already taken a slew of measures around the dumping ground, where the fire has been intermittently raging for many days now. The BMC used services of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), who have suggested in their report to flatten out mountains of garbage at the site. According to BMC’s own estimate, there is about 12 million tonnes of waste piled up at the 132-hectare landfill which has been operational since 1927.
