Clear G’gram waste mountain: NGT

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, November 21

Out to deal with Bandhwari landfill nuisance with an iron hand, the National Green Tribunal has directed the Gurugram Municipal Corporation officials to either get the garbage mountain cleared within six months or forego salaries.

In its latest order, the NGT directed the Gurugram Municipal Commissioner to file progress report by January 20 next year. A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, while hearing a plea by two environmentalists, asked the civic body to take “meaningful and prompt” action and clear 25 lakh tonne of “legacy waste within shortest possible time”.

The NGT warned that failure to comply may result in coercive action even against senior officials, including the Municipal Commissioner, in the form of stoppage of salaries and entries in ACRs about performance on the issue. The Bench said already a lot of time had been wasted in taking up and dealing with the issue.

“It may be ensured that bio-remediation is carried out rather than mere mechanical separation. The CPCB may evaluate whether clearance of legacy is being done as per applicable guidelines and furnish a report before the next date,” said the Bench.

It directed the Haryana Government to deposit Rs 20 crore in an escrow account for clearing the legacy waste and formed a committee to ensure removal of waste from the site. The committee will comprise the Haryana Chief Secretary, Finance and Urban Local Bodies Secretary, Faridabad and Gurgaon Municipal Commissioners, a CPCB representative and the Member Secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board.

The green panel had directed the Gurugram Municipal Corporation to submit a performance guarantee of Rs 25 lakh. The NGT slammed the government and its civic bodies over the disposal of industrial waste and construction debris in Aravalli forests.