In a bid to check pollution in the municipal area, the Gangarampur civic body in South Dinajpur district is all set to set up a garbage-recycle facility in the municipality area.

The authority has prepared a detailed project report of the plant and has sent it to the Municipal affairs department of the state government. The project will be set up at the Gachihar area, which is also the dumping ground of the town.

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Locals living around the dumping ground have meanwhile raised their voices against pollution in the area. The Gangarampur municipality was formed in the year 1993 and is spread across 18 wards, which houses 57,000 heads, it is learnt.

According to municipal sources, the present municipal board has a vision to develop the town by taking forward a number of projects.

“The civic body has appointed 80 manual scavengers to keep the city clean every day, seven pick-up vans, four tractors and 18 cycles that collect garbage from different wards, and the process is going on smoothly,” a municipality official said.

The municipality owns a 9-acre plot of land in Gachihar for dumping the town’s garbage. However, people living near the dumping grounds have started protesting against the pollution generated through the waste materials.

“The municipality has started dumping garbage in our area. There is no boundary wall or any arrangement to control flow of garbage outside the dumping grounds. The ground is spreading pollution in our area and has become a big headache for us. The municipality should stop this,” said a local, Ramen Das.

The chairman of the Gangarampur Municipality, Prasanta Mitra, meanwhile claimed that service to the public is his only motto. “We need dumping grounds to keep the town clean and we have arranged them for us. Some locals have urged controlling pollution in the Gachihar area. We have sent a proposal to the Department of Municipal Affairs for setting up a recycling plant in the dumping grounds. A detailed project report has been sent to the state government and we are waiting for a confirmation,” he said.