Mohali trash hill: HC seeks affidavits from MC chief, local bodies secy
The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered Mohali municipal corporation to provide personal affidavits on waste disposal measures in the city. The court also directed the corporation to address issues raised by the Punjab Pollution Control Board and ensure no financial troubles in taking remedial measures. The court expressed concern over the corporation's lack of compliance and indolence in waste management. The corporation has been given suggestions for remedial measures at the Phase-8B dumping site.
The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) has sought personal affidavits from Mohali municipal corporation (MC) and the local bodies secretary on remedial measures taken for proper disposal of waste in the city.
The bench of justice Sureshwar Thakur and Sudeepti Sharma, while posting the matter January 30, made it clear that “no flimsy pretext or excuses shall be projected for lack of compliance” of the HC order.
The court also directed the MC chief that the issues raised by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) member secretary in his report, be dealt with “most promptly” within 45 days.
The local bodies secretary was directed to ensure that the MC faces no financial troubles in taking remedial measures.
On plea moved by Mohali society
The court was hearing a plea, pending since 2006, in which a Mohali society had approached the HC alleging non-treatment, and ineffective treatment of solid waste by the authorities, which had led to stench engulfing the area. The case was disposed of in 2012 after authorities promised to take requisite steps. As nothing changed on ground, the residents approached the HC again in 2019 for revival of the plea. Since then, the court has been monitoring various steps taken by the authorities.
Mohali MC affidavit
As per the report submitted by the Mohali MC in HC, it caters to the waste disposal of about 40,289 households. It was further stated that the collected waste is remediated through bioremediation plants. It had come to light in the affidavit that even as some quantity is being remediated, a sufficient quantum of solid waste or legacy waste piling up at the Phase-8B dumping site. The bidding process to finalise a firm for bioremediation of legacy waste is underway.
It was further submitted that the MC will set up resource management centres, whereby the segregated collected, is further segregated and converted into manure, to be used by the MC parks and green belts of the city. The dry waste will be converted into bales and further sold to the designated agency.
MC’s gross indolence, observes HC
The court observed that the MC is projecting that upon HC intervention, it is “overcoming the gross indolence and lethargy, which otherwise was prevailing upon it”, and taking prompt remedial steps now.
“The municipal corporation concerned, even without orders being passed by this court, was required to be self-awakened, to the necessity of apposite remediations, being done through prompt establishments of bio-remediation plants, lamentably, it has not done so. In addition, instead of performing its lawful duties, the MC is proceeding to challan the inhabitants of the households concerned,” the bench observed adding that “indolence” of the MC is clearly discernible from the report of member secretary, PPCB, who had submitted the same upon the directions from the court in April 2023.
Besides, detailing on the MC’s failure in waste management, the PPCB report had said that due to dereliction of duties and failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, between July 2020 and February 2022, the National Green Tribunal had imposed an environmental penalty of ₹29 lakh on it.
The MC has deposited ₹9 lakh so far. It further said that as MC has been violating the 2016 rules, further action against it is under PPCB consideration.
Taking a serious note of the PPCB report, the court observed that it is but evident that even the board has “deprecated the lack of sensitivity” of the MC on waste disposal.
Remedial measures suggested for Phase-8 B site:
1. Bioremediation of legacy waste within proposed timeline.
2. 100% waste segregation and door-to-door collection
3. Stop intake of mixed waste at the site
4. Build boundary around dump site
5. Build green belt along the boundary
6. Arrange for leachate collection & treatment
7. No disposal of organic waste from slaughterhouse or fish-market
8. Revive defunct effluent treatment plant at the site