Jalpaiguri, July 4: Residents of a Jalpaiguri hamlet clashed with police over dumping of garbage on a government plot this morning, claiming it is a wetland. Tempers had been running high in the area over the dumping ground for the last few days. In today’s clash, two police personnel and three civic workers were injured. The Jalpaiguri municipality, which used to dump waste on a plot on the outskirts of the town at Tanga earlier wanted to shift to another ground as it was not possible to continue dumping waste there. Accordingly, the administration allowed them to discard waste on a 2.19-acre government plot in Balapara last week. Yesterday, when municipal trucks went to Balapara, residents did not allow the unloading of waste. Today at noon, three trucks reached Balapara, accompanied by a police force. Seeing the trucks, residents blocked the way to the proposed dumping ground. Deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Haripada Shi and deputy magistrate T.T. Bhutia repeatedly asked them to disperse, according to the police, but the residents would not budge. An altercation with the women of the area ensued. “As women constables tried to disperse them, the residents started throwing stones. We retaliated with a mild lathi-charge,” a police officer said. The crowd scattered but soon nearly 600–odd residents re-assembled and again started throwing stones at the force. Dipa Majumdar, a woman police constable was hit. The residents also allegedly ransacked a bulldozer of the municipality. The police had to burst teargas shells and baton-charged again. In the ruckus, a policeman and three civic workers were hit by bricks. Four residents also suffered injuries in the baton-charge. Bablu Basak, a resident, said the plot was a wetland. “The plot is a wetland which is why we are resisting the decision to use it as a dumping ground,” he said. Authorities from district fisheries department, who take care of wetlands, said they would visit the plot. Four persons have been booked for attacking the police and causing hindrance in government work.