Solan municipal corporation faces Rs1.80L environment cost for poor waste disposal

Solan, July 28

The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has recommended an environment compensation of Rs 1.80 lakh to be imposed on the local civic body after glaring violations in the management of solid waste at the Salogra dumping site, near Solan, came to fore.

A site visit by board officials on July 20 following a complaint by local residents revealed that unsegregated waste was being transported to the processing facility from Solan where even source segregation was not done. No segregation platform had been provided at the facility and no processing was being done. The entire machinery, including trammel, screens, etc., were lying defunct. A huge quantity of legacy waste was also lying unattached and unsegregated while fresh waste was not being segregated.

With no disposal mechanism having been adopted at the dump site, the place has become a nuisance for the people residing nearby. The waste was not even being sent to Ambuja Cement’s Darlaghat plant for processing.

The glaring revelations put a question mark over the waste disposal mechanism adopted by the Solan MC.

Ravi Rana, who lodged a complaint with the CM Helpline, said that utter negligence on the part of the Solan civic body in ensuring scientific disposal of waste despite the NGT directions had been exposed. “It is a clear violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. The Municipal Corporation is playing with the lives of thousands of villagers residing in the vicinity of the Salogra dumping site”.

“It is appalling that though drinking water supplied by the Jal Shakti Vibhag faces the threat of contamination due to reckless dumping of waste, nothing has been done to address the issue. A fetid stench emanating from the site adds to the peril of the locals, who are contemplating to hold a protest,” said Rana.

S Kumar, Regional Officer, SPCB, Parwanoo, confirmed that a recommendation to levy an environmental compensation of Rs 1.80 lakh on the Solan civic body had been made for its failure to undertake scientific disposal of solid waste. They were directed to segregate waste and send incinerable waste to Ambuja Cement’s plant at Darlaghat and make compost of bio-degradable waste. He said eight to 10 panchayats were also dumping waste at the site. — TNS