NGT sets June 30 as new deadline for 100% waste segregation in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH The National Green Tribunal has again extended the deadline for the Chandigarh municipal corporation to implement solid waste segregation in the city by three months.

The decision was taken during a hearing on the issue in New Delhi on Friday. Now, the MC is tasked with ensuring 100% segregation of waste into dry and wet across the city by June 30, 2020.

UT adviser Manoj Parida along with municipal commissioner KK Yadav and Chandigarh pollution control committee officials attended the hearing and submitted details of action taken by the respective authorities to curb pollution and implement solid waste management.

While confirming the new deadline, Parida told HT: “We have achieved 30% waste segregation and assured the tribunal that the rest will be achieved by the end of June. Earlier, the deadline was March 31, 2020.”

It was in October 2019 that the MC started a drive to implement waste segregation across the city. Two bins — blue and green — were placed in each sector to collect dry and wet waste separately. A provision for fine was also made to deter offenders. Despite all the efforts, the corporation was unable to meet the initial deadline.

A close watch

In the recent past, the NGT has strictly asked the MC to ensure waste segregation and effective garbage processing. The report submitted before the NGT says that approximately 25,000 tonnes of unprocessed mixed waste was lying in the premises of the Dadumajra processing plant, resulting in inadequate operational space.

It also noticed that the waste had been pushed to the wall of the premises, which resulted in it spilling over to the adjoining forest area.

“Due to continuous delivery of unsegregated waste by the MC and the incapability of plant to process the waste, the condition of the plant and the surrounding is subject to further deterioration,” stated the report.

A tribunal has earlier constituted a committee to oversee the compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, in Chandigarh. It is headed by Justice Pritam Pal. The tribunal has also asked for the status report of the processing plant’s functioning in the next hearing.

ON AIR POLLUTION

UT adviser Manoj Parida said the tribunal also recommended formulation of a policy to control vehicular pollution in Chandigarh.

Parida informed the tribunal that the UT administration has already bought 40 electric buses to prevent pollution. The administration s also conducting a source apportionment and emission inventory study to know the real sources of air pollution in the city, the NGT was told during the hearing.