There is widespread resentment among the people as the Angul Municipality authority and district administration have failed to comply with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to establish and operate a solid waste management plant.
The NGT vide OA Case No 36 / 2016/EZ on July 14, 2017 had directed the authorities to dispose huge solid waste dumped in Angul Municipality within 12 months. Moreover, the district administration which is acquiring hundreds of acres of land for various mining and industrial projects from the innocent villagers, often applying by brute force, here miserably failed to give protection for construction of a dumping yard only in five acres of land.
Meanwhile, the petitioner of the case, lawyer Rabindra Prasad Pattanaik informed that a contempt proceeding U/S 26 of NGT Act will be filed for non compliance of the order passed by the NGT.
The failure of construction of a dumping yard has led to dumping of huge quantity of garbage at several places, resulting in serious health hazards in the city. The NGT has directed the concerned officials to take appropriate steps in accordance with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules and submit an action-taken report (ATR). Specifically, the NGT has ordered the District Magistrate and SP Angul to provide necessary assistance to the Angul Municipality for unobstructed discharge of their responsibility.
“As per the Rule 5(2) of MSW Rule, the District Magistrate shall have the overall responsibility for the enforcement of the provisions of MSW Rules. Here, the Collector, Angul, while miserably failed to discharge his responsibility for the enforcement of the provisions of MSW Rules on solid waste management, also overlooked and disobeyed the order of the NGT, told petitioner Pattanaik.
Presently, all the civic waste and garbage are dumped at the residential areas of Amalapada, Sikhyakpada ,Tamrit Colony, Similipada, Bazar and Bus Stand area. The municipality area itself has turned a dumping site.
Surprisingly, the Regional Office of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), which is within the area of Angul Municipality, has not taken any action on it. Although the OSPCB makes tall claims of monitoring reuse and disposal of industrial waste, 23 million tonne of waste is lying undisposed in the State including Angul, which can be extremely hazardous for the environment, said sources.
Recently, India’s apex pollution watchdog, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has reported that India’s 41 tier-II cities, including Angul, are facing severe air and water pollution. Angul is third in the list.
Angul Municipality has no sewage treatment system. Consequently, the municipal waste contaminates the water sources. The Government has sanctioned Rs 42 lakh for a dumping yard three years ago.