Residents living near Sainik School in Bhubaneswar have asked authorities to stop waste vehicles from entering the Gadakana dumping yard during Durga Puja, warning that they will begin a hunger strike and protest near the site if the demand is not accepted.
Representatives of the Sainik School Bachao and Alia Gada Hatao Abhiyan submitted a memorandum to the member secretary of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board. They have sought a temporary halt to waste dumping near the school until the dumping ground is removed from the area.
The residents’ demand focuses on the movement of municipal waste vehicles to the Transfer and Treatment Station at Gadakana, close to Sainik School. According to the memorandum, the entry of waste vehicles should be stopped during the festival period to address concerns over pollution and the proximity of the dumping site to nearby residents and the school.
The campaign representatives said they would sit on hunger strike in front of the Pollution Control Board and hold a protest near the dumping yard during Durga Puja if waste vehicles continued to enter the site. The warning adds a public demonstration to a dispute that has already involved repeated sit-ins, protests and hunger strikes by the campaign.
The representatives also claimed that the Union Defence Minister had written to the Odisha Chief Minister about removing what they described as an illegal and toxic waste dump. The report did not include the text of that letter or an independent statement from the Defence Ministry confirming the communication.
Residents further alleged that toxic gases and pollution from the dumping ground had contributed to deaths and serious illnesses in the surrounding area. These claims were made by the campaign representatives and were not independently established in the supplied report. No official health assessment, environmental monitoring data or medical evidence was cited.
The dispute also reflects a longer-running disagreement over the status of the Gadakana waste site and the responsibilities of the municipal authorities. The campaign said the Pollution Control Board had previously issued a strongly worded letter to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, giving it time to remove the dumping ground. The report did not specify the deadline, the compliance status or the next action proposed by the civic body.
The immediate issue for the authorities is whether waste collection and disposal operations will be altered during Durga Puja while the residents’ demand is considered. The Pollution Control Board, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and other responsible agencies had not provided a response in the supplied report. Residents said their next step would be a hunger strike and a protest at the dumping yard if waste-vehicle entry was not stopped.
