Civic authorities here are mulling approaching the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) for permission to use its open dump yard behind Don Bosco School on Eastern Bypass, as garbage accumulates on the streets of the hill town. Although the proposal looks impractical to implement given the distance of 65km between the two towns, what it does suggest is that the civic officials are desperate to find a solution to the garbage crisis that has been lingering for long. The row has also put at risk the health of thousands of people. Sources in the civic body said the health officials will meet the Kalimpong subdivisional officer, P.T. Sherpa, soon to put the proposal before him. They will also discuss digging of pits to bury degradable wastes. Beginning today, the Kalimpong civic body has started separating degradable and non-degradable wastes. "We engaged workers to separate plastics from the heaps of garbage. Plastics comprise about 50 per cent of the urban wastes,' said an official, adding that the challenge now is to find suitable sites to dig pits without upsetting anyone. The official's caution comes close on the heels of the refusal by the residents of Bhalukhop to allow dumping at the the dump yard there. Following this, the civic authorities had attempted to dump the garbage at three different sites, but everywhere they met with local protests. "It has been almost two weeks since garbage has been piling up on the streets. We better resolve the impasse fast, or risk facing both health problem and social tension,' said another official. Already, people residing in and around the accumulating wastes in different parts of the town are talking about launching their own campaign to get the garbage removed from their localities. "When people can't pass by the garbage without covering their noses, how do you expect us to bear the foul smell day in and day out?' asked a resident of Main Road. A divide is also emerging between a section of the population and the people residing in the vicinity of the old dump yard. "They are being unnecessarily rigid. Who asked them to settle in the area knowing very well that it was a dump yard,' said a taxi driver. Yogendra Ghatani, a resident of Bhalukhop, however, said: "We have long been demanding the shifting of the dump yard. Every time we meet the authorities, they seek time, and then forget the matter completely. This time round we will not budge.' Mukul Sengupta, mayor-in-council, (conservancy) of the SMC, said he was yet to receive any proposal from the Kalimpong civic body. "Our own dumping ground is almost full and we are having to tackle problems of our own. I do not see how we can agree to their request if any,' Sengupta said. Siliguri gets 400 tonnes of solid wastes daily.