Inhabitants of Harekrushna Nagar area of Berhampur in Odisha took out a silent rally on Sunday to protest against air pollution due to burning of garbage in their area.
According to Harekrushna Nagar Development Committee secretary Ashok Das, it was an effort to make people aware of the effects of burning of garbage.
“It is an irony that even the sanitary workers of Berhampur Municipal Corporation burn garbage at the dumping point instead of taking it away. At several places these workers create small dumps of dry waste and burn it,” he said.
Health hazard
The silent protesters alleged that burning of garbage is releasing poisonous fumes, which is harmful for the families living in the area.
Inhabitants of the area claim that for the past two years they have been complaining about it to the municipal authorities but in vain. Area development committee cleans the region every fortnight and collects the garbage at a point.
“Despite our repeated requests, the municipal corporation is not taking it away immediately. The dump of February 17 was taken away on March 18,” Mr Das said.
Air pollution
Earlier municipal workers had been burning the dump at the spot, but now due to pressure have started transporting it away.
However, the localites complain that garbage swept from streets is being burnt down, which is causing air pollution in their area.
