Trash treatment: Varanasi gets dumping ground

VARANASI: The city’s garbage woes have finally come to an end as villagers of Ramana have been convinced to allow Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) vehicles to dump garbage at the dumping site in their village in a couple of days. The villagers were protesting against dumping and burning of garbage in the village causing health hazards.
The villagers have been convinced that proper boring will be done and wastes will be burnt in a way that there is no smoke causing health hazards to the villagers.Within a week’s time, VMC vehicles will start disposing garbage at the dumping site in Ramana village.
The breakthrough came after district magistrate Pranjal Yadav held a meeting with the villagers earlier on Thursday. He assured that he will inspect the site on Saturday and make a decision. Till then, arrangements to dig up land for garbage disposal and installation of submersible pumps will be made. The boring machine reached the site on Thursday night at Ramana. The municipal commissioner, Umakant Tripathi told TOI on Friday, “We have already started the boring work and land where the garbage has been dumped will be levelled first.” Also, semi-high mass lights will be installed at the village, he added.
He further said, “After the levelling and boring work is complete, dumping of waste will start. The villagers have agreed to allow VMC to dump wastes after all the necessary measures.”
The corporation also seems to be under pressure and has swung into action to ensure functioning of sewage treatment plant at Karsara. “The dumping site at Ramana is temporary. We need to start the Karsara plant soon so that city waste can be dumped there,” said Tripathi, adding that till the time things are not sorted out with A2Z, the company engaged for waste collection and its disposal, VMC will continue with its door-to-door garbage collection.
In the meantime, the door-to-door collection is continuing in the city. Also, the waste collected is believed to be dumped at some furtive places fearing another round of protests. Earlier on Thursday, VMC officials had expressed their inability to name the sites where the collected waste was being dumped.