Meerut: Rules, orders, and environmental warnings have once again gone up in smoke — literally. Despite the strict ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in force to fight rising pollution, garbage and crop residue were shamelessly set on fire in the Meerut sector of the Kartik Purnima fair area on Thursday evening.
Even as Delhi-NCR gasps for clean air, sanitation workers and some local farmers dumped plastic, polythene, and fair waste into piles — and lit them up. The result: toxic smoke blanketed the Ganga Khadar zone, suffocating devotees who had come for a holy dip on Pratipada. The stench and smog turned the sacred site into a pollution chamber.
This shocking act of official negligence and environmental disregard has sparked outrage among locals and environmentalists alike. Despite repeated NGT orders against open burning, the administration stood by as rules were reduced to ashes.
Meanwhile, heaps of waste left behind by devotees and shopkeepers after the fair remain scattered across the area — a testimony to administrative failure. Instead of ensuring systematic cleaning, authorities chose the laziest and most hazardous route — burning the garbage in the open.
When questioned, Fair Officer/SDM Shriram Singh made a stunning admission: “I am not aware of this.” His words reflect the depth of apathy that continues to fuel such violations year after year.
Environmental experts warn that such open burning not only violates pollution control laws but also adds to the choking air crisis in NCR, already under emergency-level restrictions.
Who will be held accountable?
Why were NGT directives ignored again?
The silence of the administration speaks louder than the flames that choked the fairground.
Leave a Reply