Big rally in Surat against SMC waste dumping project in Bhandut village

Surat: Large number of villagers today took out a rally in the city to protest against the solid waste dumping project of SMC and setting up of related plant in Bhandut village in Olpad area.

The rally with tractors, two wheeler and hundreds of villagers on-foot with banners, placards and posters started from Adajan bus depot and culminated in a protest meeting near SMC office.

There was also a large participation of women folk in the rally.

The participants said that they did not want the ‘dirt’ (solid waste) of the city to be dumped in the village. ‘Why do they want to dump the city dirt in our village and play with the health of villagers and even coming generations. The land of village is not for dumping the city waste. We will not let them take our land at any cost,’ a lady participant said.

Many people in the rally were wearing Gandhi-caps on which word farmer was written. Claiming to be farmers of coastal villages in and around Bhandut, they said that it was not just to use village land for dumping city waste. There should be alternative arrangement to dispose off the waste in the city itself.

They said that they would be handing over large papers signed by thousands of villagers to protest against the proposed land acquisition for the dumping site.

Another rally in the city was seen today when the owners of weaving units came on the roads against tax related issues.

DeshGujarat