Nagpur: In a move that will benefit developers, builders and politicians, as also provide much-needed respite to thousands of beleaguered residents residing in the vicinity of Bhandewadi garbage dumping yard from atmospheric and ground water pollution, the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) on Friday cancelled the reservation of compost depot spread over on 122 acres of land in mouza Chikhli (Khurd) in South Nagpur.
As many as 30,000 people will get respite from the NIT”s decision, which was taken in the meeting of its board of trustees. The proposal has been prepared without giving consideration to handing over alternative land to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) as directed by the State government three years ago.
Superintending engineer of NIT SS Gujjelwar tabled the proposal before the board of trustees and it was taken up for discussion in the meeting. Now NIT chairman Shyam Wardhane, who was municipal commissioner till January 6, was present in an earlier meeting as municipal commissioner and had registered his strong objection to the proposal. Following his opposition, the decision was kept pending. NIT trustee Chhotu Bhoyar had said that the proposal would not be approved unless alternative land was provided to NMC for dump yard.
The NIT had identified alternative lands in metro region. It is the responsibility of NMC to acquire those lands and develop dumping ground, said trustee Ramesh Singare in the meeting. However., villagers residing near the two sites identified by NIT in metro region for new dumping grounds are already up in arms against the project.
The NIT cited large number of constructions on the compost depot land and its buffer zone for deleting the reservation. A large chunk of land, however, is still open. The NIT says unauthorised layouts have come up on it. The NIT is planning to delete the reservation and regularise all houses and plots under the Gunthewari Act here.
Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha(rajeev.nagpurtoday@
