Gurgaon: A 35-acre area in Sector 21, which has become an illegal dumping ground over the years, went up in flames that took the fire department almost six hours to douse on Saturday night.
Officials said they suspect that the blaze began because of firecrackers being burst in the area. Inflammable items such as foam and plastics were dumped at the site, and likely fanned the fire.
Residents said they could see the flames a few kilometres away. Smoke continued to billow from the site till Sunday morning.
Deputy director (technical) of the fire department Gulshan Kalra said on Sunday that they received a call about the fire at 9.06pm. Six fire tenders, four from Udyog Vihar and one each from Bhim Nagar and Sector 37, were pressed into action.
“Trucks took 30 rounds of water to the site. The operation concluded around 2:40am. Fortunately, no casualties were reported,” Kalra said.
Another official from the Udyog Vihar station said: “The fire might have been caused by firecrackers, and it quickly spread because of items such as plastics, cardboards and wires.”
Originally acquired by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (now HSVP) in the late 1970s, this 35-acre area was meant for developing the sector.
In 2013, the Punjab and Haryana high court ruled that only vacant plots could be acquired by the state govt. Those on which construction had been carried out could not be acquired unless that land was needed for setting up essential public utilities such as roads, water and electricity infrastructure, HC had said.
Haryana govt subsequently appealed this decision, and the case is pending before the Supreme Court.
Over the years, this vacant land turned into an illegal waste dumping and processing spot. Residents said some of the landowners rented out their plots to small-scale waste management firms for around Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per month.
Residents said that illegal dumping of waste has been rampant on the disputed site for a decade, and repeated complaints to authorities have been ignored.
“Both organic and inorganic waste is often disposed of by burning, releasing toxic fumes that severely impact residents’ health. We also moved the high court in 2014 for directing civic authorities to clear the area, as unchecked dumping of garbage exposes residents to some of the worst environmental and health hazards. Despite HC’s direction, govt bodies have taken minimal action. We are left to bear the brunt of this negligence,” said Prakash Lamba, president of Sector 21 RWA.
KL Sharma, general secretary of the sector RWA, said piles of waste are prone to catching fire. “This is the third major fire in the past year. Inaction is no longer an option. Shockingly, the response from local authorities has been minimal. There was a brief attempt to dismantle some godowns, but this fell short of what is needed to address this issue,” Sharma said.
HSVP estate officer-1 Vikas Dhanda could not be reached for comment till Sunday night.
Credit Source – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/massive-blaze-erupts-at-illegal-dumping-ground-in-gurgaon-envelopes-35-acres-in-flames/articleshow/114919953.cms