NGT seeks report on open dumping of waste in Faridabad
Bijendra Ahlawat
Faridabad, November 7
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) to file a report regarding the collection, storage, transportation and processing of daily waste in the city.
The tribunal has taken a suo moto cognisance of the matter based on a report published in The Tribune regarding the dumping of solid waste and garbage in the open at various spots in the city, last month.
In a reply submitted to the notice issued earlier, the HSPCB last month held breakdown of vehicles and insufficient deployment on the part of Ecogreen (the agency that has been outsourced the work) for the piling up of garbage at one of the waste transfer stations, resulting in a temporary accumulation of waste.
The board had added in its reply that the Faridabad Municipal Corporation (MC) had taken swift and proactive measures to address the problem. It claimed that the civic body deployed additional resources to ensure garbage removal and timely transfer of the piled waste.
It was submitted that as the accumulated garbage has been transported to Bandhwari site, the waste from the stations shall be systematically cleared and transported on a daily basis. Acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, HSPCB officials said the MC is taking all measures to mitigate the situation and to ensure efficient waste management to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the area.
“This application is registered in suo motu exercise of power on the basis of the news item titled “Faridabad residents see red over inefficient waste disposal”, published in ‘The Tribune’, dated October 3,” the order said, adding that the news item mentions the dumping of solid waste and garbage at various spots, including roadsides, green belts, the bypass road that is being converted into an expressway. “Having regard to the fact that after the publication of news item and receipt of the notice by the authorities concerned, remedial action has been taken. We deem it proper to direct the HSPCB to take appropriate action in accordance with law for the past violations and also ensure that no garbage and solid waste is collected or stored on the spot in violation of the environmental norms,” the order delivered by a three-member Bench, headed by Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava, on October 31, stated.
However, disputing the claims of the HSPCB and MC, Varun Sheokand, a local resident, said sanitary conditions in the city had worsened as heaps of garbage could be seen dumped all across the city.
The NGT has asked the HSPCB to file a fresh report within three months regarding the status of the collection, storage, transportation and processing of waste. “If found necessary, the matter will be listed for consideration,” it added.
HSPCB REPLIES
In a reply to the notice last month, the HSPCB stated that the Faridabad MC had taken swift and proactive measures to address the problem by deploying additional resources to ensure garbage removal and timely transfer of the waste that had piled up.
