HC imposes Rs 25K cost on Admn, MC for failing to file reply

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 each on the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation for their continued failure to file replies to an application in an ongoing public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the Dadumajra garbage dump.

A Bench, headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of compliance with its directions to submit para-wise replies to the PIL alleging institutional misrepresentation and concealment of facts relating to the garbage dump, despite having granted repeated opportunities.

The Dadumajra landfill remains a focal point of environmental and public health concerns in Chandigarh. The PIL seeks remediation of the dump, enforcement of effective waste management practices and strict accountability from public institutions.

After the Chief Justice asked for an update from the Municipal Corporation on the current status of dump clearance, the counsel for the MC reported that 48,000 metric tonne of waste remained and attributed the delay to monsoon.

On the Bench seeking a clarification on measures taken for affected residents living in the vicinity and whether these residential colonies had received formal approval, the Chandigarh Administration claimed that these pre-dated their jurisdiction and both temporary and approved structures had coexisted with the dump for decades.

The Bench also sought an explanation on why the Indore model of garbage management was not being implemented in Chandigarh, following which the MC assured the court of intensified clearance efforts.