Representatives of over a dozen Residents’ Welfare Associations, medical practitioners, children, senior citizens and women, among others, gathered at Golf Course Extension Road here on Sunday, highlighting the deteriorating air quality in the Millennium City and seeking immediate action by the administration.
Eight major demands
Holding placards that read ‘Gurugram or Gas Chamber’, ‘Don’t Let Our Future Go Up In Smoke’ and ‘Designate Transit Points For Malba’ , the protesters, most of them wearing masks, gathered outside Escape Towers around noon and pressed for eight major demands.
These included dry waste collection centres in all wards to prevent open burning, implementation of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines on construction, impounding of trucks carrying uncovered building materials, installation of air monitoring devices for real time air quality check and designation of construction and demolition waste dumping transit points to curb the current practice of reckless dumping of debris.
The protesters, mostly members of the newly created WhatsApp group “Citizens for Clean Air”, sought direct and immediate action from civic authorities. Failing this, they sought the Chief Minister’s intervention in the dismal state of infrastructure.
The group then walked towards DPS International School boundary and Nirvana Country to see for themselves the reckless dumping of malba and burning of mixed waste. It was a pitiable sight for the doctors present to see the children breathe this air.
Parents’ anguish
“The construction and demolition waste lying adjacent to residential areas and schools must be removed on a war footing. I was aghast to see an illegal waste dumping site adjacent to DPS and St. Xavier’s schools along Golf Course Extension Road. It is an absolute health hazard for children of these schools,” said Sanjay Mehta, who heads a radiology department in a private hospital in Gurugram. The parents’ anguish was evident when they spoke about how their children were suffering due to respiratory illness on account of smoke and dust right outside their homes.
“Early morning and late evening walks in Sector 50 are a nightmare as the smell of burnt garbage, construction material, etc., hangs in the air. An immediate solution is required...the ongoing damage to everybody’s lungs has crossed the epidemic mark,” said Sandra Bhutani, a resident of Nirvana Country. Harish Capoor, founder member ‘Clean Gurgaon’, said the present situation continues despite the city contributing enough funds and existence specific laws to enable the administration to address the situation.
The citizens now plan to launch a signature campaign to attract the attention of the authorities.
