While second-hand clothing and household appliances are sold at the flea market in Smederevska Palanka, a mountain of waste grows above the stalls. Despite the government's promises, the illegal landfill over the city's skyline has been expanding for years. And the local elections are approaching
On the hill above flea market markets in Glavaševa Street in Smederevska Palanka There is no lookout point, although the view from this place offers a panoramic view of the town. There is no park, not even a neglected lot. There is a hill there waste which has been growing for years before the eyes of citizens, although the local government claims to know about the problem and plans to solve it.
On the flat surface below that hill, used clothing, tools, household appliances and other goods are sold. For decades, in that place at the end of September on Krstovdanski fair spins roasting on a spit, merry-go-rounds and other amusement park devices, sells soft drinks and cotton candy, drinks under tents.
But the panorama seen above the stalls is not a picture of the fair's tradition, but an improvised landfill.
Textiles, plastics, rubble, metal objects, leaves, bulky waste such as furniture, car parts, but also waste from the cemetery are scattered on it. There you can read the inscriptions about the bereaved family, the last greetings to the deceased on the ribbons of the wreaths, find fresh and artificial flowers.
During a tour of the site, the "Vremena" reporter found the tractor of the Public Utility Company Palanka 2020 unloading a new load of garbage. There was no one in the place to stop it.
The driver says that "it is not his fault" and that he was told to do so.
"Waste from the cemetery has been collected several times at this location, although legally it would have to be transferred to the regional landfill in Jagodina through a company that has a permit for waste management," state local activists.
They constantly submit reports to the Municipal Inspectorate regarding this problem, with footage of the unloading as evidence.
Due to one of the reports, a budget rebalancing was brought to solve this problem, and the driver who unloaded the waste was heard.
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Local activists warn that waste is not brought to this location sporadically, but continuously.
"We have been pointing out this problem for months, we come to the field, we sent a series of inquiries, we got some answers. However, garbage is still brought here," says one of the activists who monitors the situation.
According to their claims, the landfill functions as an informal waste disposal point, without control and supervision. Such a practice, they say, has been going on for years.
They are held in Smederevska Palanka this spring local elections, so ministers began to visit the municipality.
Thus, on Thursday (February 19), the Minister of Environmental Protection, Sara Pavkov, visited the location of the flea market and the landfill above it during a working visit to the municipality. In the official announcement of the local self-government, the landfill was described as a "decade-long problem", which, as it was added, will be solved.
The municipality states that the rehabilitation project is almost finished and that it is planning to apply for funds from the ministry. According to those plans, the area should be cleaned, fenced and turned into a recycling center.
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"It is our duty and obligation to rehabilitate the landfill with the support of the President of the Republic and the Government of the Republic of Serbia. What is important is that the development of the project is nearing completion and that the municipality will compete in this year's competition of the Ministry of National Affairs for the funds necessary to solve this problem. We will clean and fence the location. We will build a recycling center where waste can be used as a resource," said Minister Pavkov during a tour of the landfill.
"Vreme" sent questions to the municipal administration and PUK Palanka 2020, among other things, on the basis of which waste, including garbage from the cemetery, is disposed of at this place, who controls the disposal of garbage at this location, what the inspection does in this regard, however, the answers did not reach the conclusion of this text.
The landfill and the flea market are located not far from the city center. From Thursday to Saturday, this location becomes a gathering place for all those who want to buy cheap used clothing, books, toys, household appliances, furniture, and all kinds of other trinkets.
For citizens living in the surrounding streets, the sight of the landfill is not only a visual problem.
During warmer days, an unpleasant smell spreads, the wind blows light waste towards the fields, the rain washes the dirt down the slope, and the underground water is also threatened by the waste.
The area under this dump doesn't look any better either - some improvised stalls with scattered items that are sold don't move away from here on non-sale days, so even the flea market itself can look like a dump at first glance.
While the institutions are planning, waste continues to be dumped on the hill above the flea market, and it is not only growing from garbage, but also from dumping solutions.
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