VELLORE: Despite several protests by political parties and the general public of Sathuvachari condemning the dumping of garbage in Palar river by the Vellore Corporation, the civic body continues to use the river as a dumpyard.
The garbage collected from Sathuvachari, Gandhi Nagar, Vivekananda Nagar and surrounding areas are being dumped in Palar river by the sanitary workers of zone II.
Sources in zone II said, “Sanitary workers are dumping the waste in Palar river and officials are aware of it. For one load of garbage, the tractor driver has to go to Sathuperi, which is 9 kms away from Sathuvachari. So the workers choose to dump waste in Palar river near collectorate, which is nearby. Corporation should allot land for garbage instead of dumping the waste in Palar river.” Another source said Palar was the source of water for the entire district. Hence, the district administration should look into the matter seriously to stop dumping of the waste in the river.
Sanitary Inspector Abdul Raheem, zone II said, “Our workers are dumping the waste in Sathuperi. If they are dumping the wastes in Palar river, I will issue a memo to the tractor drivers regarding this issue and ensure that this doesn’t continue in future.” In addition, several marriage halls also dump waste in Palar river. Replying to queries, Mayor P Karthiyayini said, “I am not aware of waste being dumped in Palar river. I will look into this matter and take appropriate action, if necessary.”