The National Green Tribunal has directed a joint committee to furnish the action taken report (ATR) in an application filed against unscientific dumping of municipal solid waste in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.
The plea stated that unscientific dumping is located around six kilometres from the Air Force Station, Hindon Airbase, allegedly in violation of the environmental norms, and is a potential safety hazard.
The bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and others in an order passed on October 7 said, "We direct a joint committee comprising of the Commissioner of Meerut Division, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Board, Nagar Nigam and District Magistrate of Ghaziabad to verify the factual position, take remedial action and furnish an action taken report."
"The State PCB will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The meeting will be presided over by the Commissioner of Meerut Division which may be organized within two weeks and remedial action taken within two months thereafter," the bench directed.
The joint committee may also interact with the concerned authorities of the airbase and other stakeholders. They may ascertain whether there is any plan for waste management in the city of Ghaziabad. It may be further examined whether the requisite processing plant to process day to day waste has been set up, the NGT said in the order.
Further, whether existing legacy waste dump site at Shakti Khand has been tackled, the data of waste generation, processed, a number of sites, daily deposition of waste, legacy waste added on a continuous basis and remedial action including funds and monitoring mechanism, the bench added.
NGT's direction came on a plea moved by one, Vikrant, who alleged that dumping of waste is now taking place at Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad.
In the vicinity thereof, there are around 40 societies in which people are living and around 16 societies are being built. Approximately 40,000 to 45,000 people have started living in the flats constructed by the builders and around 10,000 new flats are being constructed. There is not a single dustbin. Garbage is being dumped in pits, drains and even on the banks of river Hindon. The dumpsite is also causing a safety hazard for the airbase, the plea stated.
( With inputs from ANI )
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