NGT directions for civic body

Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 28

Representatives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday held a meeting with Municipal Corporation officials on the solid waste management issue.

The NGT asked the MC to stop collecting garbage from houses if people do not segregate waste.

Health Officer Shri Krishan Sharma said Rajwant Sandhu, Chairperson, North Zone NGT, attended the meeting with an aim to get plans under solid waste management implemented.

Besides, the NGT officials also inspected the steps initiated by the MC under solid waste management.

“If residents fail to give provide us with segregated waste, we have been told to stop picking garbage from their homes,” said Health Officer Shri Krishan Sharma.

“To segregate waste, residents will have to install two dustbins. In the first dustbin, wet waste will be thrown and in the other, dry waste would be placed,” added Sharma.

He said the NGT officials had asked them to work on a decentralised model under which the cost of operations and management would become less.

The Health Officer said under the system, waste must be processed on the spot where it was being generated.

The NGT Chairpersons also asked the Railway authorities to process the waste generated from the railway colony and station. They were told that waste must be processed at the same site.

“The MC will not deal with the waste generated in the railway-owned areas,” said Sharma.

According to information, the issue of management of construction waste was also raised at the meeting. The MC officials have already marked four sites to dump construction waste. Despite that, construction waste is dumped in other areas. On this, the NGT official asked the MC representatives to start challaning those who dump construction waste in other areas.

Community composting in Mayor Jagdish Raja’s ward was shown to the NGT officials. A system has been prepared for 125 houses in Ward No. 48 where compost is formed at the same place after waste is segregated.

An official said bins had been given to some residents and they were also educated about converting waste into compost in 40-45 days at their homes only. He said thereafter, compost could be used in kitchen gardening or parks.