Temple Committee says no to landfill plan in North Guwahati

Amingaon, Oct 10: The material recovery facility (MRF) or the landfill site of North Guwahati Municipal Board has hit a roadblock following the opposition of Shri Shri Dirgheswari Devalaya Parisalana Samittee and some local people.

The temple committee has opposed the landfill site as it is "near the temple." It fears that it will pollute the environment and will keep the visitors to the temple at bay. In this regard, the committee submitted a memorandum to the District Commissioner, Kamrup, through the Circle Officer of the North Guwahati Revenue Circle Office. Sources in the temple management committee said, "We are opposing the site and not the project."

Sources in the North Guwahati Municipal Board said that following the resistance of the temple committee and some local people, the work of the landfill site had to be stopped. Sources said that the total waste, both dry and wet, generated daily in North Guwahati is 3 to 4 tonnes.

Funded by the Swachh Bhartat Mission under the Solid Waste Management Programme, the estimated cost for the first phase of the project was Rs 62 lakh. The manual segregation was started on January 1, 2024. Later, the work order for the material recovery facility was issued on March 13, 2024. However, after carrying out about 50 percent of work, it had to be halted.

Municipal board sources said, "We discussed the matter with the temple committee on August 3 and tried to make them understand that it has been done after scientific planning and will be harmless. It will be done scientifically. So, the question of pollution does not arise. We hold temple environment in high esteem. We are sanguine about the positive outcome, as the landfill site is for the filth-free environment."

Scientific segregation of waste holds the key to avoiding any harmful impact on public health and the environment. Scientific segregation eliminates the risk of pollution and subsequent harm to people and cattle, according to sources.

Meanwhile, sources in the district administration are expecting an amicable solution to the issue.