Once pristine & lush canal in Doon now a garbage dump

Dehradun: Behind the posh Vasant Vihar houses and through the last standing tea gardens of the area flows one of the few remaining canals in the city — now gradually turning into a garbage dump, much to the dismay of residents.
Indira Ramesh, 84, recalls the time when walks along the canal offered relief from the summer heat. "That is no longer the case, though the area is still frequented by joggers and walkers. The area has a religious significance, so people gradually began dumping religious waste in and around the canal. Now, garbage is regularly being dumped here," she told TOI.
Residents claim that after every festival — most recently following the bhandaras held for Ram Navami on Sunday — tonnes of garbage were dumped near the canal. "It was only after several calls to the area councillor and then senior officials of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation that some of the waste was cleared. But more keeps piling up. One of the last remaining canals in the area is being lost to human callousness," said Mousumy Bhattacharya, another resident.
A signboard adjacent to the canal urges people not to dump waste, but the warnings go unheeded. "There's a need to enforce anti-littering rules. Offenders must be penalised — especially when the govt speaks so loudly about keeping our water sources clean and alive," Bhattacharya added.
Irrigation department secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar said the issue will be looked into. Meanwhile, DMC officials said that after receiving complaints from residents, a clean-up drive was initiated. "To ensure monitoring in the future, especially as warning signs are being ignored, we will install CCTV cameras in the area and take action against violators," said Gopal Ram Binwal, deputy municipal commissioner.