BHUBANESWAR: As if the rising pollution level in the state capital wasn’t concerning enough, illegal burning of waste along the roads has emerged as a major contributor to the already poor situation while posing a serious challenge to the city’s avenue plantation drive.
What is even more worrying is the fact that enforcement authorities, especially the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), has failed to check such illegal dumping of garbage and their burning on the roadside. Around a dozen saplings planted along the Cuttack-Puri bypass road near Kesura were damaged and their fences burnt after the garbage dumped on the roadside by people was allegedly set on fire on Sunday.
Kesura area, however, is not the only stretch. With multiple fire points being detected along the bypass road on Sunday and Monday and the Pollution Control Board and BMC officials allegedly failing to act, sources said, more such plantation work is likely to be damaged along the stretch and elsewhere in the city, causing huge loss of revenue to the government.
The BMC has taken up avenue plantation of about 30,000 saplings across the city this year with the help of Forest department and OFDC.
“Apart from the bypass road, garbage is also being burned along the stretches in Satya Vihar area, national highway between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and many other areas of the city. However, the civic body is yet to initiate any serious enforcement in this regard,” alleged Sujit Behera, a resident from Hanspal area. He said if the government fails to crack down on the people responsible for such action, there will be more damage to the plantation activities, let alone a further spike in pollution level of the city.
Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) officials said they have already called for enforcement against such activities in urban areas.
BMC commissioner Chanchal Rana said the waste along the stretch is mostly dumped by the locals from the nearby panchayat and rural areas. “We have already taken up the matter with the sub-collector and urged for strengthening sanitation in these areas or allow BMC to extend sanitation service to these localities. In the meantime, enforcement will be expedited against waste burning and appropriate action taken in this regard,” he added.