Protests rocked Farabari near Siliguri on Monday when a section of residents and representatives of social organisations demonstrated, alleging indiscriminate and unauthorised dumping of medical and other hazardous waste on a vacant plot.

The garbage, they said, had been brought from the neighbouring state of Sikkim.

“We have been noticing for the past four days that medical and other wastes were being brought from Sikkim by trucks and dumped on a vacant plot. It is a blatant violation of the Solid Waste Management Act. Such indiscriminate dumping is also posing a problem for the residents and the environment,” said Debabrata Chakraborty, the secretary of the Green Environment Preservation Society (GEPS), which is based in Siliguri.

“The location where the wastes are being dumped is barely 50 metres from the boundary of the Baikunthapur forest,” he added.

On Monday morning, the residents stopped four trucks carrying garbage and told the drivers to take away the vehicles from the locality. It led to a heated exchange of words and eventually, police from the Ambari police outpost reached and controlled the situation.

The trucks were sent to the police outpost for further investigation.

“We have come to know that the owner of the vacant plot has entered into an arrangement with the truck drivers so that the waste can be dumped on his property. However, he does not have any clearance or approval from the local panchayat and other authorities concerned,” said Manika Adhikari, a representative of the Rajganj panchayat samiti of Jalpaiguri under which the village is located.

She pointed out that if garbage, especially medical waste, was dumped, it had to be disposed of scientifically to reduce pollution or risk of health hazards to people residing in the adjoining areas.

“It can also impact the wildlife of the Baikkunthapur forest. We have informed the police and the block officials that people are facing inconveniences because of the waste,” she added.

Chakraborty said the panchayat authorities would hold a meeting with other social organisations and groups working for the conservation of nature later in the evening and intensify their protests if the dumping of waste continued at the site.

“Siliguri is already grappling with waste management issues. How can waste from Sikkim be brought here? The authorities should act and stop this practice,” said Dipnarayan Talukdar, the secretary of the Himalayan Nature & Adventure Foundation.

The residents of Farabari have said Sikkim is a green state in terms of environmental parameters and has earned accolades from various quarters for being a clean and completely organic state.

“Why is garbage, specifically medical waste, brought here from Sikkim? The waste should be disposed of scientifically. We are worried that the refuse will cause serious health hazards,” said a resident.