India, Aug. 23 -- One year after the demolition of 41 unauthorised buildings in Nalasopara East, the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has turned the vacant plot, reserved for a sewage treatment plant (STP), into a garbage dump. According to locals, at least 30 garbage-disposal vehicles belonging to VVCMC contractors regularly frequent the site to offload rubbish.

Residents staying in buildings adjacent to the plot said that after the pre-monsoon cleaning of drains and gutters, the garbage and sludge were deposited on the 60-acre plot. "The stench is unbearable," said Diksha Jain. "The VVCMC should have had a plan in place before demolishing the buildings."

Rajendra Gawde, a social activist who fought for the rights of the ...