COIMBATORE: Tension prevailed in Vellalore on Sunday after local residents and social activists staged a road blockade opposing the Vellalore town panchayat's decision to establish a garbage transfer station on a 22-acre parcel of land near Pechiamman Kovil Street.
The protest erupted after town panchayat workers began clearing the site identified for segregating municipal solid waste before transporting it to the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation's (CCMC) Vellalore dumpyard for processing and disposal.
The move comes in the wake of the CCMC's decision to prohibit local bodies from dumping mixed municipal waste at the Vellalore dumpyard. Following repeated public complaints, court interventions and directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the corporation instructed neighbouring local bodies to send only segregated waste to the facility.
To comply with the directive, the Vellalore panchayat identified the 22-acre site for setting up a transfer station where waste collected from the panchayat would be sorted before being transported to the CCMC's dumpyard.
However, the proposal drew strong opposition from residents living nearby. As news of the site-clearing work spread, scores of people gathered at the location and launched a dharna, demanding that the project be abandoned immediately. Residents argued that the proposed facility is located barely 200m from residential neighbourhoods and expressed fears that it would worsen pollution and create serious public health concerns.
"We are already suffering from the foul smell emanating from the dumpyard, which is located several kilometres away. Now the authorities want to establish another garbage facility right next to our homes. We cannot accept this," said Y Keshavaraj, a resident. He claimed that more than 5,000 people residing in wards 11, 12 and 13 of the town panchayat would be directly affected if the transfer station is established at the proposed site.
As the protest intensified, panchayat president Marudhachalam, accompanied by panchayat officials and police personnel, arrived at the spot and held discussions with the agitators. The officials assured the residents that the work at the site would be suspended until further discussions were held.
Following the assurance, the protesters withdrew their demonstration and dispersed peacefully, bringing the situation under control. The incident once again highlighted the growing challenge faced by local bodies in balancing scientific waste management with the concerns of communities living near proposed waste-handling facilities.
