Residents of Faridkot blocked the Faridkot-Kotkapura road on Friday to protest the dumping of municipal waste from neighbouring Kotkapura at an unauthorised site, after recurring fires at the dump injured a firefighter. The protest also led to five garbage-laden tippers being turned back without unloading their waste.
The dumping site has become a fresh flashpoint in Punjab’s pollution debate, as residents questioned why fires caused by burning or decomposing waste were receiving less attention than farm fires. Protesters alleged that garbage is routinely set on fire or catches fire because of gas build-up at the site.
The demonstration escalated when residents confronted Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and demanded that Kotkapura stop transporting waste to the location. The site lies on the Faridkot-Kotkapura road and was initially used for Faridkot’s waste, but has increasingly received garbage from Kotkapura as well.
The dispute has highlighted the absence of officially designated dumping grounds for both Faridkot and Kotkapura. Local representatives said the lack of a formal disposal site had allowed waste to accumulate at a location where fires and emergency response have become recurring concerns.
Faridkot municipal council executive officer Amrit Lal said waste from one town could not be dumped in another. He told the Times of India that he had written to the Faridkot district magistrate seeking action against Kotkapura authorities under Section 154 of the Punjab Municipal Act and requesting directions for the removal of waste allegedly unloaded by Kotkapura authorities.
Lal said a fire tender had been sent to the site on Friday night to control a blaze and that he had learnt that a firefighter, identified as Gagandeep Singh, had been injured while tackling the fire. The incident has intensified concerns over the safety of workers handling waste at the dump and the risks faced by residents living near it.
Faridkot BJP district president Sandeep Singh Brar and Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha member Shankar Sharma alleged that waste was being dumped illegally and without adequate safety protocols. They said the practice was increasing the risk of fires and other environmental hazards.
Lal also said he had written to the state government to identify a suitable site that could be used as a dump. The municipal officer’s comments indicate that the immediate dispute is linked to a wider administrative gap: neither town currently has an officially designated location for municipal waste disposal.
Speaker Sandhwan said the state government was making efforts to find workable solutions to the issue. The next steps identified by the municipal council are action by the district magistrate, possible proceedings under the Punjab Municipal Act and the search for a suitable waste-disposal site.
