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Deonar garbage dump fires are an act of sabotage: Sena

Mumbai - According to Mehta, a dozen fire engines and eight water tankers are now battling the blaze.

  Toxic fumes continued to emanate from the Deonar garbage dump and thick smog enveloped several parts of north-eastern Mumbai on Tuesday, even as fire-fighters battled the blaze for the third day.
Several residents of Deonar, Govandi, Mankhurd, Chembur and Ghatkopar complained of breathing problems and government hospitals and private clinics were packed with patients seeking treatment.
Many of the residents of north-eastern suburbs also took out a rally in Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, opposite the headquarters of the Bombay Municipal Corporation, protesting against the lackadaisical approach of the civic body.
Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta, however, denied that the BMC had ignored the fire, which broke out on Sunday evening and spread across the 325-acre dumping yard. This is the second major blaze at the garbage dump in Deonar this year.
The first such fire in late January raged for almost a week and thousands of residents suffered because of the toxic fumes that clung to the atmosphere. The BMC had then promised to position fire-fighting vehicles near the dumping ground, but when the fire broke out on Sunday, there was virtually no response from the fire brigade.
According to Mehta, a dozen fire engines and eight water tankers are now battling the blaze. Though the fire had been brought under control on Monday, there were more outbreaks of fire on Tuesday.
Echoing the sentiments of the Shiv Sena - which controls the BMC - Mehta said it appeared to be an 'act of sabotage'. The BMC filed a police complaint suspecting sabotage.
Mehta said the BMC had started constructing a fence around the garbage dumping ground, which is one of the largest in the country. A dozen CCTV cameras are being installed and an additional 40 would soon be added, he said.
Surprisingly, the BJP - which is an ally of the Shiv Sena in the BMC - also protested against the fire at Deonar. On Tuesday, party legislators protested in the legislative assembly, accusing the BMC of not taking adequate steps to control the fire.
nithin@khaleejtimes.com
 

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