A joint forum of Siliguri-based organisations working on social and environmental issues filed a complaint at the Ambari police outpost on Tuesday, alleging indiscriminate dumping of garbage, including medical waste, in a vacant plot of a village on the outskirts of the city, near the Baikunthapur forest.

“We have filed a police complaint against the dumping of waste at Farabari (a village in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri district, close to Siliguri town). In the complaint, we have mentioned the risk of serious health hazards for the villagers and also the detrimental impact of such dumping on the environment and the adjoining forest,” said Debabrata Chakraborty, secretary of the Green Environment Preservation Society (GEPS).

The complaint, he said, was filed by the forum that has 10 different organisations as members.

The issue of dumping surfaced on Monday as residents of Farabari, along with representatives of some organisations that work for the conservation of nature, stopped some trucks carrying the garbage to a vacant plot. The garbage was brought from Sikkim and was dumped on the plot under an arrangement with the landowner, they said.

Their move led to an altercation with the truck drivers. Eventually, the police intervened. Later in the evening, the associations held a meeting in Siliguri where it was decided that they would file a complaint with the police.

The area comes under the jurisdiction of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police.

“There is a potential risk of soil, air and water contamination due to such illegal dumping of garbage. After our protests, no garbage was dumped today and we want the police to stop it permanently,” Chakraborty added.

Amit Sarkar, the president of the Darjeeling District Legal Aid Forum, said the waste could cause irreparable harm to flora and fauna, leading to long-term degradation of the natural habitat.

“Such accumulation of hazardous materials poses a public health hazard. It can lead to respiratory, skin and chronic ailments,” he said.

A delegation of the organisations also visited the office of the commissioner of police on Tuesday and met senior police officers requesting legal steps against those responsible for the transportation and dumping of hazardous waste on the site.