NGT to decide fate of solid waste project

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 30

Even though Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced two days ago that the Jalandhar municipal solid waste project had been scrapped – in a bid to placate party MLA Pargat Singh – it’s the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that will take the final call on the matter. The NGT has ordered day-to-day hearing in the matter from May 2.

Officials of the Local Bodies Department said today on the condition of anonymity that the project’s fate would depend on the NGT’s orders, adding that they could not dump it on the basis of the CM’s statement.

Hearing a bunch of nine petitions related to waste management, NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar had pronounced on April 19, “We will hear all matters together, including those on the waste-to-energy plant as a solution to deal with municipal waste and the status report of the projects in Punjab, which had proposed eight clusters for dealing with municipal waste.”

JM Balamurugan, Secretary, Local Bodies, said, “We are still examining all aspects of the issue. The NGT is primarily concerned about the technique of waste disposal. As of now, we do not have any specific directions from the state government. If it directs us to shift the site in view of people’s objection, we will start looking for a new one.”