Environmentalist to file contempt case at National Green Tribunal

Gagandeep Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 5

Observing the failure to bring the Jalandhar cluster under the Solid Waste Management Project within the deadline as per the directions of National Green Tribunal, a Nakodar-based environmentalist, Gaurav Jain, who fought the case at NGT, is now panning to file a contempt case.

The NGT on November 25, 2014 passed a judgment in which it said that the Jalandhar cluster that includes 23 corporations and councils in four districts namely Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala will implement the Solid Waste Management Project.

While speaking to the Jalandhar Tribune, Gaurav Jain said, “The Local Bodies Department of Punjab seems to have not been taking it seriously. The department had also been directed to file a status report to NGT about Solid Waste Management Project after every three months, which has not been done. ”

“Under the same project, door-to-door collection was to be made sure by June 15 in the Jalandhar cluster, which has not been done so far. This is the contempt of the orders of the NGT, therefore all the legal aspects are being taken into account as I am consulting my lawyer to file the contempt case,” said Gaurav.

“Despite the fact that garbage bins have been installed at various locations in Nakodar and Jalandhar, yet the situation of garbage on the road sides is still the same,” he added.

Gaurav approached Punjab and Haryana High Court in March 2012 regarding bad state of affairs of cleanliness in the towns of Punjab. Following the suggestions from Punjab and Haryana High Court, he took up matter to the NGT in February 2013.