Upon hearing a Petition filed by Angul based lawyer Rabindra Prasad Pattnaik in regard to the garbage problem in Angul Municipality, a bench consisting of SP Wangdi and Prof PC Mishra of the National green Tribunal (NGT) directed the District Collector, Angul to identify an alternative dumping site within 30days and to survey, explore and identify a suitable place that would not invite any objection from public.
It is worthwhile to mention that the NGT in its previous order dated March15, 2016 had directed the Angul Municipality to remove the garbage from Ward No 1 and 18 and file the compliance report. However, the Municipality informed the court that the garbage could not be removed because of stiff resistance from local villagers at dumping site and no alternative sites provided by the district administration.
The tribunal also directed the Superintendent of Police Angul to ensure that sufficient protection by deployment of police support is given to the civic body to prevent any untoward incident during waste disposal.
Earlier, the district Collector has identified a site at Talamula Sasan for dumping of waste and treatment plant and the NGT had directed to develop that land and if needed take police protection.
The petitioner’s counsel Sankar Prasad Pani emphasised that the mess in garbage disposal is in sheer violation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management and Handling Rules 2000 which is now substituted with MSW Rule 2016 where there is clear provision for collection, segregation, storage, transportation and disposal of waste that is to be processed in a solid waste management plant which the civic body and administration had failed to ensure even after 16years of the MSW Rule.
The Rule has mandated every Municipality to set up its disposal facility with December 31, 2003.