Smoke On The Water

NASHIK: Vivek Gaidhani was shocked to see smoke billowing out of a heap of garbage near the vegetable market on the Godavari banks.
“This was for the first time we noticed burning of garbage along the river. Till now, we had seen it along main roads and on streets in colonies. When I inquired with the people involved with the burning of waste, they said they were employed with the civic body,” said the Panchavati resident.
He added that the area near the vegetable market always had waste piled up and the garbage vans rarely picked up those.The result is garbage piling up for days .
Environment activist Devang Jani said, “The garbage accumulated at the vegetable market on Goda Ghat near Ramkund was being burnt by the sanitary employees of the municipal corporation. Based on National Green Tribunal’s order, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) recently announced that Rs 5,000 would be slapped as fine on anyone burning waste. The municipal commissioner iterated the decision during a meeting on the river pollution a few days ago. Yet, waste was burnt by NMC employees along the river.”
NMC’s health officer Vijay Dekate said the orders for penalising the guilty would be strictly. “I received the photograph of waste being burnt by the river banks near Ramkund on Friday morning. But when I inquired with the divisional office, they told me that the incident had taken place on Thursday. How can we take action now? If we are informed immediately, we can send our officers to the spot and slap fines on the offenders,” he said.
The officer said from now on, sanitary inspectors and divisional sanitary officers should be informed immediately so that they could initiate action.