Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 24: Over a year has passed since the Pulwama district’s Vision Document 2020-2022 stated establishment of a Solid Waste Management Project (SWMP) in the Awantipora area on “scientific lines” but there is no progress so far and waste is being dumped in environmentally fragile area.
Thousands of tonnes of rubbish are deposited at environmentally vulnerable open locations in the Awantipora area, including the foothills of the Vastoorvan forest range, endangering the ecosystem. The unit’s establishment would bring in environmentally friendly waste management practices in order to preserve the district’s pristine ecology.
The Urban Development Department was credited with the development of this SWMP, which was mentioned in the Pulwama district’s Vision Document 2020-2022. According to the document, the facility would be built at a cost of 5 crore rupees and take 15 to 18 months to complete. A district administration official told Excelsior that 25 kanals of land were to be found and assigned to the project.
The document also states that a single cell of roughly 10 kanals would be capable of disposing of 5.8 tonnes of garbage each day, generated by 14647 souls in Awantipora’s main town and the Victor Force army base, one of South Kashmir’s largest forces’ institutions. “So far, no progress has been made. I do not believe the land for the project has been found yet,” an official said.
Locals in Awantipora informed Excelsior that waste is dumped in neighborhoods for days before being lifted and thrown around the Vastoorvan mountain range’s vulnerable slopes. “Thousands of tonnes of waste are generated by Victor Force, and garbage from the other places is hauled and dumped here in Awantipora,” locals said.
They continued that the government had informed them that an SWMP would be built and that it would put an end to their problems. “However, we have been waiting for years and no action has been taken to address this serious situation,” the residents lament.
Director of Urban Local Bodies, Mathoora Masoom, told Excelsior that an expert team from the department recently visited the site and that a waste management facility would be built based on their recommendations. “I am yet to receive their report, and the rest of the things will follow once the report is with me,” she said, adding that the government had no shortage of funds for the project, but it must meet all of the criteria.
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