Sirsa: In a setback to the cleanliness campaign, motorists crossing Hisar can see garbage at the dumping station located on the outskirts of the town spilling to National Highway-9, the Delhi-Sirsa road.
Traffic on the slip road is disrupted as almost half the stretch is covered by garbage, which is an invitation to stray cattle which feed on garbage. The presence of cattle also poses a threat to fast-moving traffic on the national highway.
Officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) maintained that it was a serious matter which must be taken note of on an urgent basis.
NHAI Project Director RK Rathee said he had spotted the garbage spilling on the road. “I will take up the matter with the Municipal Commissioner for taking urgent steps to remove the garbage from the road,” he said.
Chief Sanitary Inspector Subhash Chander said garbage-carrying dumpers could not cover the entire distance to the dumping station during rain for unloading the garbage.
“We have 19 acres for dumping at the site, of which three acres adjoining the highway has been given to the NHAI for widening the road,” he said. They had decided to engage a poplane machine to manage garbage at the site, he said.
Rajesh Kumar, commuting from Fatehabad to Hisar, said an unbearable stench distracted commuters every time they reached the site.
“The situation has been persisting for about two months. The garbage has now been scattered on the slip road, attracting stray cattle. I fear that it will spill to the main road in the next few days,” he said.
The municipal corporation had planned to set up a solid waste management plant at some distance from the site, but non-procurement of land had been delaying the project, sources said.