Plaint filed against poor handling of waste at wholesale vegetable market

Handling of garbage at the wholesale vegetable market of the Punjab Mandi Board, located on Bahadur Ke Road, is poor and waste can be seen dumped at many points on the premises, resulting in environment degradation. A city resident and activist, Kapil Arora, has filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner and PPCB Chief Engineer in this regard.

No action taken in past

Incidents of burning of garbage is common and activist Kapil Arora had moved the NGT which had disposed of the case with directions to the Joint Committee to take remedial action in this regard and submit the report with the Registrar General of the NGT. A report in this regard was submitted by the PPCB on February 15. However, no remedial action was taken at the site.

“It has been eight years since the notification of ban on single-use plastics was issued but the same can be seen dumped everywhere in the vegetable market, which clearly construes that officials of the Punjab Mandi Board are not serious about the environment as well as the norms,” said Kapil Dev in the complaint submitted.

As per an affidavit filed by the MC in the National Green Tribunal in the past, a static compactor was supposed to be installed by June 30, 2024, but it is still awaited.

Incidents of burning of garbage is common and Arora had moved the NGT which had disposed of the case with directions to the Joint Committee to take remedial action in this regard and submit the report with the Registrar General of the NGT. A report in this regard was submitted by the PPCB on February 15. However, no remedial action was taken at the site.

Garbage has been put on fire again on Thursday by the board resulting in severe damage to the environment. As per the report submitted by the PPCB, the Punjab Mandi Board was supposed to make adequate arrangements for management of solid waste, including installation of mechanical composter or composting pits or any other mechanism,” he said.

Further, besides other remedial actions, the board was also supposed to properly manage solid waste as per provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and ensure that the same is segregated and disposed off in an environment-friendly manner. However, the board has failed to ensure compliance of the norms and the garbage is still being dumped in open areas and roadsides on the premises of the board.

“The garbage is found to be burnt also which is causing major air pollution. Further, the dumping of garbage in vacant plots on the premises is resulting in contamination of groundwater due to leaching of effluents from waste. Hence, such an act is against the air as well as water Acts too,” Arora stated in the complaint.

Arora has requested to initiate criminal prosecution against the officials concerned of the board and also impose penalty for burning as well as mishandling the garbage in an unscientific way, resulting in contamination of the environment.