NGT sets July 27 deadline for Jaypee

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14

Providing a major relief to city residents and the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed the Jaypee group to start the garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra by July 27.

The directions were passed on an application filed by the MC against the decision of the Jaypee group to close down the city’s only garbage processing plant.

Giving details, MC Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta said the NGT issued directions that the group should start the plant by July 27. The MC would have to withdraw the case from the Punjab and Haryana High Court filed yesterday, he said. He said the NGT also stated that the tipping charges would be considered after the management upgraded the plant. The next date of hearing was fixed in Delhi for July 27, Gupta said.

The Shimla MC had earlier filed a petition against the Jaypee group at the NGT for not accepting its garbage.

The group had written to the MC saying that it would close down the plant on July 11. The company had in the past also sent such letters setting a fresh deadline each time. As the company has stopped processing garbage, the MC is now directly dumping around 250 to 300 tonnes of garbage at the dumping ground without processing.

In February, the Jaypee group had threatened to shut the plant on March 31 over non-payment of tipping fee by the civic body. Thereafter, the MC and company officials held a meeting and the decision was deferred.

In November last year, the MC House had rejected the agenda to provide tipping charges to the Jaypee group for processing the garbage.

A letter from the plant management was placed before the MC House meeting on February 29 in which it was stated that the plant management was suffering a loss of Rs 50 lakh every month and unless the MC paid the tipping fee, it would shut the plant on March 31.

MC will have to withdraw case

The MC will have to withdraw the case from the Punjab and Haryana High Court filed on Thursday. The NGT stated that the tipping charges would be considered after the management upgraded the plant.