Mumbai’s oldest and largest dumping ground in Deonar has finally got the nod from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee for its partial closure. The plan is to set up a landfill site on the dumping ground.

However, residents around Deonar are demanding complete closure of the dumping ground. They expressed unhappiness over the Rs 3,495-crore proposal, which would stop haphazard dumping and curtail morbid smoke and stench. They are likely to put forth the point of complete closure during the hearing in the Bombay High Court over the matter on Tuesday.

After having once rejected the proposal in May and staging strong opposition citing high costs, the BMC’s Standing Committee on Monday finally gave its approval for the proposal.

The Hight Court had given the civic authority time till July 21 to submit a concrete plan or face contempt action. It is hearing a petition filed by Dr Sandeep Rane of the Smoke Affected Residents Forum (SARF).

According to the BMC’s proposal, of the 110-hectare ground — where 70 per cent of the city’s 10,000 metric tonnes of waste is dumped — an area of 65 hectares will be shut down while on the remaining land, a processing plant will be set up. 4,000 metric tonnes of garbage will be treated once the landfill site is set up.

“We are not happy with the proposal being passed as we have been demanding complete closure of the Deonar dumping ground. We do not want any garbage to come here in future,” Dr Rane said. He said the demand for complete closure will be put forth during the hearing.

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