‘No to garbage depot’: Padgaon residents slam landfill proposal

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Furious over the mounting waste crisis in their locality, Padgaon residents on Friday strongly opposed the municipal corporation’s proposal to create a landfill on six acres of land near the existing garbage depot. The landfill plan was discussed during a two-hour public hearing organised by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) at Maulana Azad Research Centre. Present at the hearing were additional district collector Sambhaji Adkune, MPCB regional officer Manish Holkar, sub-regional officer Achyut Nandwate, and Nandkishor Bhombe from the solid waste department. The garbage depot already holds 75,000 metric tonnes of waste, currently undergoing biomining. However, 15–20% of the waste remains untreated. The Corporation had applied for landfill permission to manage this residual waste. But over 150 citizens many from the nearby Gloria City township raised sharp objections. They highlighted plummeting property values, health hazards due to foul odours and smoke from waste burning, and the unbearable living conditions, especially during the monsoon. “We can't even open our windows. People are falling sick. This is inhuman,” one resident said.

With 100 of 200 flats in Gloria City lying unsold, locals said no one wants to settle in a ‘stinking’ neighbourhood. “There’s already a slaughterhouse here. Now a landfill too?” they protested. Former corporator Krishna Bankar shared ground-level concerns, while 15 citizens spoke during the hearing and 236 submitted written objections. The MPCB will now forward a detailed report to the state Environment Department for final consideration.