The Karimnagar dumping yard issue is snowballing into a major controversy, with people from various sections of society raising their voices against it and staging protests in different ways.
While some residents have posted videos highlighting their plight, women have been protesting by playing Bathukamma while wearing face masks.
Class VII student Dumpeta Yodha of Alkapuri Colony posted a video on social media to show outsiders how local residents were suffering. Wearing an oxygen mask, she explained the difficulties faced by people in the area.
She said residents were experiencing respiratory and other health problems and warned that they might eventually have to wear oxygen masks permanently if the situation continued.
An Army jawan from the same locality also posted a video highlighting the issue. Serving in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that while he was enduring cold weather conditions there, his children and other family members were struggling with smoke emanating from the dumping yard.
With the Bathukamma festival season underway, women have been registering their protests by playing Bathukamma while wearing face masks in their localities.
Taking their protest a step further, a group of women led by social activist Munipally Phanitha played Bathukamma near the dumping yard on Tuesday evening. They later staged a rasta roko at NTR Chowk, placing Bathukammas on the road and bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill.
Located near Autonagar, the dumping yard is spread across nine acres on the bank of the Manair river, downstream of the Lower Manair Dam.
Residents of Alugunoor, Hyderabad Road, Sadashivapalli, Kattarampur, Kothirampur, Pochammavada, the Kaman area, Alkapuri Colony, Housing Board Colony and other localities have been facing difficulties due to smoke emanating from the yard over the past few days.
Residents of the affected areas have been seeking the relocation of the dumping yard through representations to political leaders and officials. However, a permanent solution has yet to be found.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kothirampur resident Kothapalli Raju said people were finding it difficult to breathe when thick smoke engulfed the area in the evenings. Children and elderly people were particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems, he said, urging officials to find a permanent solution.
During his visit to Choppadandi, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had assured residents that the dumping yard would be shifted from Karimnagar. Earlier this year, officials identified a site near Sirsapalli in Huzurabad mandal for relocation.
However, residents of Huzurabad and surrounding villages opposed the move and staged protests under the aegis of a joint action committee (JAC). Following public resistance, officials halted the process.
According to municipal figures cited in the report, the 66 divisions of the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) generate around 135 to 155 metric tonnes of garbage every day. With no effective mechanism to clear the accumulated waste, the dumping yard has become a major source of concern for nearby residents.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
