PERAMBALUR: The Rs 3.18-crore bio-mining project at the dump yard in Neduvasal in the district is yet to be completed even after two years have passed since the deadline, complain residents. They add that fresh waste is being dumped at the site, raising concerns.
According to sources, the contract to clear 48,384 cubic metres of municipal solid waste from the dump over 3.1 acres of land was awarded to a private company in 2019. It was then promised that work would be cleared within a year. The project, however, stretched to more than three years due to various reasons. While 90% of the garbage has been cleared, the public in April 2022 demanded the municipality to rid the dump yard of the remaining waste, following which civic officials assured action within a week’s time, they added.
Several months have passed and the public complains of inaction and more garbage being dumped on the premises. It may be noted that last year's rain washed away the garbage in the dump yard into the Marudaiyaru through its canal in Neduvasal.
K Subramanian, a resident of Neduvasal, said, "For nearly 10 years, we have been facing various issues such as mosquito infestation and the stench from the garbage in the dump yard. As part of the bio-mining project, they stopped garbage flow here for months. But it has started again in and around the dump yard. We do not know where to file a petition for a permanent solution."
Another resident, K Durairaj, said, "Although most of the garbage has been cleared, the project is yet to be completed. All waste, including medical, is being dumped here again. It is shocking how medical waste is disposed of here. This should be removed immediately before the rains. Otherwise, the garbage here will again wash into the river.”
When contacted, Perambalur Municipality Commissioner R Radha said, "Bio-mining work at the dump yard has been completed. Since it is the rainy season, there is no other place to segregate the garbage, and so it was dumped at Neduvasal. This too, however, has been stopped."