Kejriwal promises to shut Okhla waste plant

The Times of India , Friday, February 27, 2015
Correspondent : Jayashree Nandi
NEW DELHI: Residents of Okhla's Sukhdev Vihar are celebrating an imminent victory over a 'polluting' waste-to-energy plant in their neighbourhood. Several of them led by an Aam Aadmi Party worker met chief minister Arvind Kejriwal with a petition to shut down the plant. Residents said Kejriwal agreed to close the plant.

If the AAP government acts, it will not only send a stern message to other polluting industries, but may even spark a rethink on other waste-to-energy plants being constructed in the city. During its 49-day stint in 2014, then environment minister Saurabh Bhardwaj promised action against the plant.

President of the AAP women's wing in Kalkaji Huma Hashim had met Kejriwal along with a few residents. "The CM said the plant should be closed and that they are pursuing the issue," she said.

Huma, who, too, lives in Sukhdev Vihar, said many there are living in fear that continuous exposure to polluted air from the plant may lead to serious health complications in the long run. "Some people have also started leaving. Why should people leave their homes when it's the government's fault?" she asked.

A statement by Okhla residents on Thursday read, "Such technologies have been supported by both BJP and Congress in Delhi with total disregard for public health. The Delhi chief minister's assurance has brought relief." During Lok Sabha elections last year, residents had highlighted the problem. But after BJP won they didn't "receive any support from the Centre".

Kejriwal was given a copy of the letter written to the Central Pollution Control Board chairperson demanding answers to 21 questions including as to how it received the nod for being set up in a residential area. It claimed that Delhi Urban Arts Committee never cleared the project because of its proximity to marble monuments like Lotus Temple and Humayun's tomb which are vulnerable to acid rain.

Residents' complaints include non-segregation of waste, incineration of plastics, fly ash from the plant falling over homes causing respiratory problems, and lack of pollution control devices in the plant. DPCC had issued a show cause notice to the plant last year for violating the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. CPCB found high air pollution levels; it also found high dioxin levels.

The parliamentary standing committee on urban development last year recommended that incinerator plants be stopped in all residential areas nationwide and severely criticized use of mixed solid waste in the plants.

Chintan, an environmental NGO, has welcomed Kejriwal's stance. "If the CM keeps his promise and shuts down the Okhla plant, it will be a welcome move. Chintan and numerous other like-minded organizations have been protesting against incineration technologies for waste management in our country. Waste-to-energy plants are being commissioned by the Centre all over India to the exclusion of cheaper and safer alternatives," a statement said.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Kejriwal-promises-to-shut-Okhla-waste-plant/articleshow/46389323.cms
 


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