Ghaziabad: Civic body clears 31,713 metric tonnes of waste from Madhuban Bapudham site

In connection with the petition, the civic agency in December 2024 had informed the tribunal ‘approximately 61,000 metric tonnes of waste has accumulated at the site owing to the complete closure of road access to the processing site owing to the Kanwar Yatra’

On the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Ghaziabad municipal corporation has cleared 31,713 metric tonnes of solid waste dumped at the sewage treatment plant (STP) site in Madhuban Bapudham site, municipal officials said on Monday.

The tribunal on December 6, 2024, directed that the remaining waste be shifted, processed, and disposed of as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, by January 2025, and the land reclaimed and utilised for plantation in February 2025. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The site is adjacent to the residences in the Madhuban Bapudham housing society that were developed by Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA). The residents had moved the NGT last year and sought the court’s intervention to get the solid waste removed from the area.

“The corporation had been dumping its solid waste adjacent to the sewage treatment plant site for the past three years, and finally we had to reach out to the green tribunal to get it removed. Residents raised many complaints and even staged demonstrations, but the waste was not removed. Finally, the tribunal directed that it be removed. The dumping activity had created unhygienic conditions in the area,” said RK Sharma, president of Madhuban Bapudham welfare society.

In connection with the petition, the civic agency in December 2024 had informed the tribunal that “approximately 61,000 metric tonnes of waste has accumulated at the site owing to the complete closure of road access to the processing site owing to the Kanwar Yatra”.

It added that about 29,287 metric tonnes were shifted to the processing site in Bhikhanpur, while 31,713 metric tonnes of waste remained at the site in Madhuban Bapudham.

Considering the responses, the tribunal in its order on December 6, 2024, directed that the “remaining waste be shifted, processed, and disposed of as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, by January 2025, and the land reclaimed and utilised for plantation by the horticulture department in February 2025.

“The member secretary, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is directed to verify the factual position in the last week of February 2025 and file a verification report before this tribunal within one week thereafter,” the tribunal said.

Vikramaditya Malik, municipal commissioner, did not respond to calls for his response.

The corporation’s health department officials said on Monday that they have removed the entire pending waste from the site.

“The entire pending waste at the site was removed and shifted to our waste processing site on Pipeline Road. After levelling the land, we are now preparing to plant about 500 saplings there. The waste was dumped due to the closure of different roads in the wake of the Kanwar season,” said Mithilesh Kumar, the corporation’s city health officer.

The land where the dumping took place belongs to GDA. A query was raised to GDA vice-chairperson Atul Vats whether the authority gave permission to the corporation for dumping waste at the site.

A response was awaited from the authority till the time of filing the report.