Despite being a planned city, Mohali lacks a permanent dumping ground: Balbir Sidhu
Punjab Newsline, Mohali-
Former Punjab Health Minister and senior Congress leader Balbir Singh Sidhu, expressing concern over the shortage of land for waste disposal in Mohali, questioned the government’s inaction and demanded immediate allotment of land to address the pressing problems faced by residents.
In a statement issued here, Sidhu said, “Mohali is a planned city, yet there is no permanent dumping ground for ensuring environmental cleanliness and protection. The temporary dumping sites set up earlier at different locations are now overflowing, causing severe inconvenience to the people of Mohali.”
Citing the example of Chandigarh, Sidhu pointed out that dumping grounds and waste processing units are operational in Chandigarh and many other major cities, but the current Aam Aadmi Party government has failed to make similar arrangements in Mohali.
Sidhu emphasized that Mohali is a large and rapidly growing city, now expanding from Sector 50 to Sector 125, yet it is unfortunate that there is still no permanent solution for waste disposal.
He further stated that although the Mohali Municipal Corporation has made several efforts to identify a suitable site, the lack of available land has stalled progress. He stressed that the support of the Punjab government is essential to resolve this issue.
Criticizing the government’s new land pooling policy, Sidhu said, on one side “The government is trying to acquire land of our farmers through this policy. In already developed cities, they have failed to provide basic facilities like dumping grounds, while they continue to acquire more land for expansion. The government should first meet the urgent needs of a city like Mohali to prevent garbage from spilling onto roads and polluting the environment.”
Sidhu demanded that the AAP government urgently acquire 20–25 acres of land in Mohali for establishing a dumping ground and waste processing plant. He also called for immediate allocation of necessary funds, urging the Chief Minister to take prompt action and start work on the project without delay.