Report on Delhi garbage dump by L-G panel ‘cosmetic’, says SC

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 16

Terming as “cosmetic” a report prepared by an expert panel appointed by the Delhi Lt Governor to deal with mountains of garbage in the capital, the Supreme Court on Monday asked another panel to examine the issue and suggest a practical solution to the “gigantic” solid waste problem.

After perusing the report, a Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said, “It’s all cosmetic. It will look green, but toxic waste will remain thereunder. You are not segregating the plastic waste.”

The report had suggested compressing and compacting of garbage at three landfill sites in Delhi —Ghazipur, Bhalaswa and Okhla, which was objected to by amicus curiae Colin Gonsalves, who said it could be handled in a better manner using some other technique.

Attorney General Pinky Anand said there was no complete solution to the problem and what had been suggested in the report may not be the best but it was the most feasible solution. She said it would be utopian to think that garbage could be completely got rid of. As Gonsalves said there were better ways to deal with the problem, the Bench asked him to get a report prepared by experts he talked about in two weeks.