The locals of Sisdole-Banchare Danda have withdrawn the agitation they had planned to start from August 17.
The Cabinet meeting held on Sunday had directed the Urban Development Ministry to implement the agreement reached with the locals.
According to Shreeram Dhungana, coordinator of the locals’ struggle committee, they withdrew their agitation following a decision to present a joint report to resolve the problem in the Cabinet within three months.
The locals had given the government until August 16 to implement past agreements.
Dhungana said that they decided to allow garbage to be transported to Banchare Danda after the government informed them about formation of a committee including technical consultants only a few days before the deadline.
“The government has instructed the committee to submit an objective report within three months,” he said. “We have been informed that the committee has started work.”
Dhungana said that they have lived with the risks posed by the waste all these years and will cooperate with the technical committee by giving suggestions and advice over the next three months.
“We have been putting up with the waste of Kathmandu Valley till now. When we have tolerated for so many years, now we will tolerate for three months too,” he said. “We will work toward finding a solution by cooperating with the technical team now.”
He said that they are ready to help and give suggestions and advice to the committee anytime.
Dhungana said that their agitation has not stopped but only taken a different form. He added that they will continue to hold talks with different bodies every day to give them suggestions and to put pressure on them until the report is submitted.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and locals of Sisdole-Banchare Danda had reached an 18-point agreement on June 9. Mayor of Kathmandu Balendra Shah, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and elected representatives from the local bodies where the dumping site is situated had signed the agreement.
As per the agreement, waste materials were allowed to be dumped only during the night and KMC was required to complete necessary arrangements including light and road maintenance within three months for dumping the garbage only during the night.
KMC had also agreed to make arrangements to control the stench coming from the garbage within a month, stop leachate from waste materials reaching the river and seepage of liquid from the vehicles carrying waste materials down on the road.
The agreement also required KMC to allocate budget for development of the affected area annually.
