Environment Committee of Delhi Assembly summons East MCD Commissioner to explain what steps have been taken to clear Ghazipur landfill site and prevent fires: Atishi
People are suffering because of irresponsibility of the MCD: Atishi
Directions issued to take strict action against employees and officers who were on-duty at the time of the fire: Gopal Rai
DPCC submitted a detailed report after examining the incident; investigation states MCD bypassed all environment protection norms at the site: Gopal Rai
Only 21 trommel machines out of 25 found working at the landfill, anti-smog gun also not working: Gopal Rai
Only 17 out of 24 CCTVs meant for monitoring the landfill were functional: Gopal Rai
CPCB had ordered construction of a boundary around the landfill but it has not been done till now: Gopal Rai
Joint meeting of Environment Dept, Revenue, PWD, DDA, MCD, Fire, NDMC, DUSIB and Cantt Board called on April 4 to curb future incidents like this: Gopal Rai
NEW DELHI:
The Kejriwal Government has slapped a fine of Rs 50 lac on MCD due to its sheer negligence in maintaining rules and regulations at the Ghazipur landfill, where a fire broke out on 28th March because of MCD’s carelessness. Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai stated – Directions have been issued to take strict action against employees and officers who were on-duty at the time of the fire. The DPCC submitted a detailed report after examining the incident, and the investigation states that the MCD bypassed all environment protection norms at the site. Only 21 trommel machines out of 25 found working at the landfill, while the anti-smog guns were also not working. Only 17 out of 24 CCTVs meant for monitoring the landfill were functional. CPCB had ordered construction of a boundary around the landfill but it has not been constructed till now. Joint meeting of Environment Dept, Revenue, PWD, DDA, MCD, Fire, NDMC, DUSIB and Cantt Board has been called on April 4 to curb future incidents like this.
Environment Minister Shri Gopal Rai said, “The Ghazipur landfill site in Delhi caught fire on 28th March in the afternoon. This incident came to light, due to which the people residing in areas surrounding the landfill faced great difficulty in breathing. The local MLA raised questions regarding this incident in the Vidhan Sabha on the day itself. As soon as we took cognizance of the matter, I had alerted the DPCC to investigate and submit a report within 24 hours of the incident. The DPCC team submitted this report yesterday, which was a relatively brief one. I further ordered them to produce a more detailed report, which they have submitted today. This report contains a proper survey regarding the reason behind the fire as well as the measures for environment protection in the region.”
He continued, “It has been discovered that the measures required to be taken by the MCD for environmental protection were severely lacking. Significant amount of negligence on the part of the MCD was found in terms of rules and regulations which must be followed to ensure a safe environment around the Ghazipur landfill site. Bio-mining is in process at the site, which can contribute to reducing the possibility of such incidents taking place in future. However, only 21 out of the assigned 25 trommel machines were found to be operational. Second, the mandatory anti-smog gun has been installed in the place, but it is not functional. In order to record such accidents, 24 CCTV cameras are in place in and around the site, out of which only 17 were found to be in working condition. These cameras have been installed so that immediate information regarding such accidents can be received, so that instant action to tackle the same can be taken.”
The Environment Minister further said, “The fire was spread over an area of around 400 square metres. Even 48 hours after the spark occurred and after the fire was extinguished, fumes continued to rise from the area engulfing the surrounding localities. CPCB has given directions and guidelines to demarcate the boundary of the Ghazipur landfill on all sides, but the construction of this boundary wall has not yet been completed. This wall is required to prevent any outsider from entering the area and causing such horrific incidents in future. Based on the negligence and violations of rules and regulations which was brought into notice through this report, we have further issued directions to the DPCC – One, we have directed them to issue a fine of Rs 50 lac on the MCD. Two, all workers who were on-duty at the time the fire broke out must be held accountable and appropriate action must be taken against their negligence – directions regarding these are being communicated from the DPCC to the MCD, so that such unfortunate instances can be avoided in future. As we are approaching the peak of summers, and such accidents have taken place in the past due to mere oversight and minor violations, these strict measures are being taken in order to control the situation going further. In addition, to avoid similar burning accidents from taking place in other places in Delhi, we held a meeting with officers from the Environment Department.”
He added, “An important joint meeting of the Environment Department along with the Revenue Department, PWD, DDA, MCD, Fire Department, NDMC, DUSIB, and Delhi Cantonment Board is being called on 4th April 2022 at 1:00 PM at the Delhi Secretariat. This meeting is being organised so that a campaign can be launched to put an end to such instances of fire and burning throughout Delhi, after which we will have a more detailed roadmap on measures to be taken. Hence, we have arrived at these crucial decisions today wherein we have taken immediate action against the negligence due to which the Ghazipur fire incident occurred, and also taken the required steps towards avoiding such circumstances in future.”
Delhi Legislative Assembly’s Environment Committee summons East MCD Commissioner
The Environment Committee of the Delhi Legislative Assembly has summoned the East MCD Commissioner on the question of the fire at the Ghazipur landfill. The committee is chaired by MLA Ms Atishi. The deposition has been scheduled for April 4, 3:00 PM. The Commissioner will be asked to explain what steps have been taken to clear the Ghazipur landfill site and prevent fires. The committee has also sought details on the amount of garbage that comes to Ghazipur landfill daily; the amount of garbage processed daily; the causes of fire in the Ghazipur landfill site; total number of fire incidents at Ghazipur landfill site in the last 2 years; steps taken to prevent fire incidents; steps being taken to clear the landfill site and amount of time it will take to clear the landfill site.