Bhopal: Kaliasote Dam Green Belt Becomes Garbage Dumping Site

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Debris created after transplanting trees by Bhopal Municipal Corporation has turned green belt in Kaliasot dam vicinity into a garbage dumping site.

However, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration has said that it dumped green waste, which was later removed.

The green belt area is in vicinity of Khushilal Sharma Government (Autonomous) Ayurveda College and Hospital and it has been notified as botanical garden in Master Plan 2005, environmentalist Rashid Noor Khan said. “Major threat is that once garbage is dumped, medical waste will also be dumped from the hospital. It is problematic as with flow of rain water, it will go down to Kaliasot dam,” he added.

“I have written letter to chief secretary to save green belt area in vicinity of Pt Khushilal Sharma Government (Autonomous) Ayurveda College. NGT has issued orders to maintain green belt area in Bhopal. Tree gives oxygen that costs Rs 11 lakh. Forest department had imposed penalty worth Rs 1 crore for chopping two trees in Raisen district,” green activist Uma Shankar Tiwari said.

Deputy municipal commissioner (health) Yogendra Patel said, “BMC dumped green waste, which was removed. Someone may have dumped other garbage. Green waste can be dumped temporarily but in case, it is dumped in excess, it needs to be removed. There was no medical waste.”