Pauri Municipality has failed to comply with the orders of the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, despite five months having passed since the latter gave its ruling. The Himalaya Environment and Employment Cooperative Society ltd president, Ashok Thapliyal, has alleged that the Pauri Municipal Council keeps violating the MSW rules and orders of the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, which was delivered in September 2014 in course of the final hearing on the society's petition.
The National Green Tribunal principal bench, New Delhi, had permitted Pauri Municipal Council to use the site as proposed by the Uttarakhand State Government as a temporary one for dumping and disposing of MSW. However, the Municipal Council has not yet done anything as far as the construction of the site is concerned. Consequently, garbage and waste products are being thrown in the forest surrounding the district headquarters Pauri and being burnt across the town, posing harm for the people as well as for the environment.
It is pertinent to mention that the NGT had directed Pauri municipality to ensure that the processes of collection, dumping and disposal of the waste at the earmarked site should be done strictly in accordance with the MSW rules. This aside, it allowed the applicant to move the Tribunal either by filling a fresh petition or reviving this petition in the event that the aforesaid directive is not carried out by the State authorities.
Thapliyal asked the district administration to take necessary action or else they will be forced to take the matter to the NGT. The people say Pauri district administration is not taking the matter seriously. They ask for action against the civic body for not disposing of garbage and waste products in tune with the MSW rules, thus flouting the National Green Tribunal's order. Jan Chetna Manch has decided to take the matter to the court, pleading for corrective action.
Ashok Thapliyal told The Pioneer that the respondent State Government counsel had submitted the proposal of a site at Khasra No. 3681 in Patti Nadulsyun within Pauri municipality's jurisdiction being used as the temporary trenching site. This will be developed as a permanent site or they may fix another site which may be available to the administration in the near future, subject to the consent from the board on environment protection.
Acting on the proposal, the tribunal permitted the site being used as the temporary dumping ground. The NGT finally disposed of the writ petition and allowed the applicant to move a fresh petition or one to have things reviewed in case its directive is not carried out by the authorities. The NGT ruled certain conditions must be fulfilled under MSW rules 2000. The authorities must ensure that MSW collected daily is properly dumped in the pits in two days since it is transported at the site. The transportation shall be done through vehicles duly covered. Besides, it must be ensured that they do not cause any environment hazard as a result of spillage during transportation. But these instructions are being flouted with impunity by Pauri municipality, it was alleged.