RWAs object to private gensets on public land

NOIDA: Irked by the presence of private diesel generator (DG) sets on public land, RWAs in Noida have demanded a check on these sets.
“Many Noida residents encroach on public land by installing DG sets, thus grossly violating the state pollution control board’s rules,” said Mohinder Singh, RWA member in Sector 40 where many such sets are found.
According to Singh, if one follows the norms these gensets should be installed on the rooftops or within the premises of a residence.“One sees many such gensets placed on the road outside private houses (bungalows) or local parks facing the houses across many sectors. They not only occupy public land but also generate pollution through use of diesel and the noise,” Singh said, adding that they should be subjected to periodic checking for emission control.
Suresh Tiwari, Sector 20 resident and acting senior vice-president of FONRWA, said currently not less than 5,000 gensets were found across Noida. “There are almost 15 such sets in Sector 20 alone. Many residents from sectors 50, 40, 30 and more have these sets and continue to encroach on roads despite complaints against them,” Tiwari said.
“When there is no power, we have no option but to arrange for our own power back-up unlike multi-storey housing societies,” said a resident of Sector 50, whose DG set is placed on the road next to the entry gate of his house.
Tiwari said that according to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), these generators should be on rooftops or inside the house with a 15-metre-high pipe for fuel emission. “In 2011 FONRWA had complained to then Noida Authority chairman Balwinder Kumar, who instructed that DG sets be shifted from public land. But no action has been taken so far,” Tiwari said.
“It’s high time the district magistrate ordered the removal of all DG sets encroaching on public land,” said Singh.
According to the ministry of environment and forests, a DG set should come with an integral acoustic enclosure and should comply with the noise limit of 75 dBA at 1m (sound pressure level). “The DG set should also be provided with an exhaust muffler. Residents using these sets are not only playing with their lives but also that of their neighbours and passersby,” said Deepak Jain, an environmentalist.