Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Confederation of Trans Hindan RWA’s Ghaziabad Vs U. P. State Pollution Control Board & Others dated 15/04/2021.

The issue for consideration is non-compliance of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, in not collecting garbage from Indirapuram, Vasundhara and Vaishali which is being dumped at Shakti Khand, adversely affecting the air quality. The matter has been considered on several occasions in light of factual reports submitted to the Tribunal by the concerned statutory authorities and it has been found that there is no scientific management of garbage, resulting in damage to the environment and public health.

The NGT directed the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) to take action expeditiously for remediation of legacy waste, operationalizing decentralized waste processing plant and remediation of 11 drains as recommended by the Oversight Committee constituted for the purpose. The GNN may give its progress report within next three months to the Oversight Committee.

The court noted that the legacy waste site at Shakti Khand is spread in a 30,000 sq.m. area having 1.5 tonnes of waste piled to the height of 5 to 15 feet. The works awarded are with stipulation of time schedule and correspond to waste bio- mined and area reclaimed. The report of GNN is not specific on this aspect. Further, out of ten drains to be remediated, work of bioremediation has commenced only for one drain. Drains are to be intercepted and diverted to STPs.

While noticing the delay in biomining at Shakti Khand site and no progress at Pratap Vihar and slow or no progress on other issues, a Joint Committee of CPCB and SPCB is constituted to give factual compliance report on bio-mining of legacy waste at different sites with adoption of SoP and Guidelines of CPCB and routing of recovered material to authorized agencies, adequacy of existing and proposed facilities mentioned for solid waste processing and diversion of drains to identified STPs. Report may also indicate performance of bio-remediation of one drain and progress with respect to remaining drains.

Meanwhile, Oversight Committee has been asked to review progress made by Uttar Pradesh government in resolving inter-departmental issues of Uttar Pradesh Aawas Nigam and operation of STPs under one city one operator system.