Details

Written by: Press Trust of Kashmir

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 29 October 2018

SRINAGAR: Despite the official ban, the authorities in Srinagar have not been able to curb the practice of burning garbage on city roads. The burning of garbage poses inconvenience to morning walkers, schoolchildren and parents accompanying their wards, who have to cover their noses to protect themselves from the harmful emissions. What is more surprising is that many times it is the Municipal Corporation’s safai karamcharis themselves who are seen burning the garbage in the morning in Srinagar city. Local residents from the old city speaking to News agency Press Trust of Kashmir said “It is the responsibility of every sanitation worker to clean the area thoroughly and not burn garbage by the roadside. This impacts air quality of the city”.

They added that Safai karamcharis employed by the Municipal Corporation prefer to burn the garbage on the spot instead of dumping it at designated sites. A video clip on social media shows how the SMC are burning mounds of garbage along roadsides in residential areas, something that warrants penalty under the National Green Tribunal rules. The video, captured by Kashmir Patriot, has gone viral over social media and shows flames and plumes of smoke emitting from the burning garbage in Srinagar. On 22 December 2016, the National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on burning of waste in open places and announced a fine of Rs. 25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning.