New Delhi: At least two people are killed and several others are feared trapped as part of a garbage landfill in Delhi's Ghazipur collapsed on to the main road, sweeping vehicles into a nearby canal.
A day after torrential rain – the heaviest in three years – lashed Delhi, a section of the pile in a landfill slumped over a car and three two-wheelers, pushing the vehicles off the road and into a canal.
Forty-four personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), five ambulances and four fire tenders are currently involved in rescue operations. Divers are also on the look out for more survivors and bodies. Meanwhile, the Ghazipur DCP told News18 that a FIR has been registered under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) against unknown individuals.
Five people were pulled out from under the garbage of which two were declared dead. The deceased have been identified as Abhishek (20) and Rajkumari (30).
"This incident took place because of the MCD's carelessness. There was a blast due to toxic gas and the dump-yard caved in. The exact number of casualties is not yet known and many people are suspected to be trapped under the debris," said Manoj Kumar, AAP MLA from Kondli. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also blamed the MCD for the accident and has said that he would talk to the Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
Mayur Vihar SDM, Ajay Arora said that the reasons behind the incident could only be ascertained after investigations.
The Police say they received information from a caller at 2:38 pm. The caller reportedly informed the police about a car falling into the canal after being pushed off the road by a sliding dump of garbage from the landfill.
The landfill site falls under the jurisdiction of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). East Delhi Mayor Neema Bhagat, when contacted by PTI, said a portion of the garbage mound collapsed because of the rains. "A portion of that (collapsed garbage mound) then fell into one of the canals close to it and the water splashed on to some moving vehicles throwing them into another flank of the canal," Bhagat claimed.
Kejriwal, who visited the site, said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee had served notices to the municipal corporation about the disposal of garbage and the height of the landfill. He said garbage was disposed of in a "faulty manner".
"There are so many modern techniques available worldwide to dispose of garbage. I will speak to the Delhi LG for putting pressure on the municipal corporation for safe garbage disposal," he said.
North East Delhi MP and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari sought a report from the EDMC mayor and asked the civic body to ensure proper relief for those injured. He said steps should be taken to develop alternative and additional landfill sites for Delhi and for the scientific disposal of garbage. "We must try to avoid stacking of garbage mountains," he said in a statement.
At least one-fourth of the garbage collected in Delhi is dumped every day at the Ghazipur landfill site. The heap is said to have crossed 50 metres in height and takes in 3000 tonnes of waste daily. It came up in 1984 and is the oldest of three garbage dump sites in the national capital.
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