Compliance report filed by the Housing and Urban Development Department, Jammu & Kashmir Government dated January 23, 2023.

The matter related to pollution of Banganga river at Katra due to dumping of waste.

Legacy waste dumped on the banks of Banganga rivulet has been removed completely and the site is totally clean. The Shrine Board has removed about 1500 MTs of waste dumped on the banks of river Banganga.

Waste processing facilities are being designed to cater to the collection and transportation of waste of 38 TPD (19 TPD dry waste and 19 TPD wet waste) and its scientific disposal at Tan Talab. The collection and transportation of the waste is being done departmentally by the Katra Municipal Committee by 5 vehicles.

Katra Municipal Committee is segregating and disposing off municipal waste in a scientific manner and has imposed a ban on burning of the solid waste including polythene and protection of the environment.

At present, the Municipal Committee Katra has made a phase wise waste processing and management plan for Katra. In the first phase, MRF facility at Tan Talab site is under construction which will cater around 5-8 TPD dry waste and is targeted to be made operational by March 31, 2023.

The court was also informed that the Municipal Committee tried to dump the fresh waste of Udhampur at village Mand site but could not do so due to law and order issues. The said site is allotted and planned for development of a scientific landfill which will only cater the reject waste (20% of the total waste) from 6 ULBs.

Currently fresh waste is being dumped at an earmarked location in Tan Talab site in Katra due to non availability of other dumping sites in vicinity. The land at Tan Talab is sufficient for development of an integrated solid waste management facility of 40 TPD capacity which is targeted to be covered in the phase 2 of the waste management plan of Municipal Committee, Katra.