Municipal Corporation Haridwar is dumping the garbage collected from 30-odd wards in the prohibited site at Chandi Ghat which is near the river Ganga in defiance of the freshly issued guidelines by National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Shairq Abbas Zaidi, local Commissioner of National Green Tribunal (NGT), had inspected the garbage dumping site at Har ki Pauri and also the proposed new site at Sarai village which falls under the Jwalapur area of the district many a time over the past three months.
It may be mentioned that National Green Tribunal (NGT) has clearly instructed Municipal Corporation Haridwar (MCH) in its order dated July 2 to immediately stop dumping of solid waste near Chandi Ghat in Haridwar.
Notably, about 200 metric tons of solid waste are being collected per day from 30 wards under the civic body. Under the Jawahar lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), KRl, a waste management firm, was hired in 2012 to manage the city’s waste. At present, KRl is operating in only thirteen wards of the city.
The State of things is the same regarding NGT order banning use of polythene in Haridwar. The Municipal Corporation is still struggling to figure out how to implement it.
Mention worthy, at present, there is no facility to dump and scientifically dispose of the seized polythene in the city in accordance with the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. While ordering the ban, chairman Justice Swatantra Kumar had also said that those who would violate the order would be made to pay a penalty of Rs5000.
Ankur Kansal, regional officer Haridwar, State Pollution Control Board Uttarakhand informed The Pioneer that officially, there are 12 industries located across the district that are engaged in producing polythene products and by- products. If the sources are to be believed, the same number of unregistered manufacturing units are operating in the district allegedly as a result of nexus between the traders and the officials concerned.
The unregistered ones are in producing sub-standard polythene products like carry bags, disposable glass, plates and many more in a huge quantity.
Dinesh Pandey, member, Wildlife Task Force, said that the apathy of Municipal Corporation Haridwar (MCH), the nodal officer and Pollution Control Board is goading cows and goats to die painfully by eating food items wrapped in poly bags.