AURANGABAD: Around 200 residents from the areas around the waste processing site at Padegaon stormed the office of the divisional commissioner on Monday asking for the closure of the site. Residents said the dump was causing health issues and accused the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) of doing nothing towards waste treatment and scientific management AMC first started using the site at gut numbers 66 and 67 to empty waste in April. The site, within the land allocated for a slaughter house, was approved by the monitoring committee headed divisional commissioner Purushottam Bhapkar.However, following resistance from locals, the AMC stopped bringing garbage trucks for a while, but resumed the dumping after a brief gap.On July 30, the Cantonment Police registered an offence against 50 people for stopping garbage trucks from entering the site. This was followed by rampant dumping of waste at the site.Currently, AMC is emptying around 17-18 garbage trucks daily. According to agitating residents, the AMC has not undertaken any processing over the last 20 days. The waste dumped is in mixed form. The stink is hard to endure, a resident said. Interestingly, the 32 pits dug for composting organic waste at the site are lying useless.In a memorandum submitted to Bhapkar, residents said they want the site closed. Waste is being dumped merely 150 metres from a residential area - borewells and wells are contaminated, they said, adding that AMC has been using police force to suppress their agitation.The divisional commissioner told residents that he will call a meeting of the monitoring committee. Residents warned that they would intensify protests if action was not taken.

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