AMRITSAR, April 3 -- Ahead of the 450th anniversary of Amritsar's foundation, a collective of environmentalists and civil society groups has come together under the banner of Team Chalo Amritsar to push for urgent reforms in cleanliness and waste management in the holy city. The group has intensified its engagement with authorities to demand a comprehensive action taken report on key environmental concerns, especially in the congested Old Walled City area. The group has flagged the ongoing bioremediation work at the Bhagtanwala landfill site, where they allege that fresh waste is being illegally dumped. A formal complaint has been submitted to the MC, said Samita Kaur of Vatrukh Foundation. "The group has outlined a series of urgent demands, including scientific closure and redevelopment of the Bhagtanwala landfill into a green public space, strict enforcement of the single-use plastic ban, and implementation of extended producer responsibility. They also stressed the need for effective rollout of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, from April 1, along with time-bound accountability mechanisms," she added. Indu Aurora of Voice emphasised that policy frameworks already exist, but their enforcement remains weak. htc...