The construction and demolition waste management facility opened recently in east Delhi’s Shashtri Park has run into trouble with local AAP MlA Anil Kumar Bajpai demanding immediate closure on the ground that it is polluting the locality.
However, BJP MP Manoj Tewari, who inaugurated the Rs 20-crore plant spread over 2.5 acre on February 29 with East Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Harshdeep Malhotra is all praise for the facility and stated that the setting up of the plant to curb air pollution and management of construction waste was a laudable step.
But AAP’s Bajpai is not convinced and has continued his campaign for the closure of the facility that was constructed over a period of eight months under a PPP model and is to recycle approximately 500 metric tonnes of debris daily into construction material such as sand and footpath tiles.
Bajpai has complained to city Environment Minister Imran Khan that the plant has been opened despite stiff resistance by the local Residents’ Welfare Associations as it had led to increase in dust pollution in the area.
The plant was inaugurated despite the Delhi Pollution Control Committee sending a notice to the Il&FS for non-compliance of dust control measures in accordance with the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal, he alleged.
In the show-cause notice, DPCC member secretary Kulanand Joshi had directed the company to take all measures for dust control at the site and also submit point wise compliance report along with supporting documents to clarify its position.
The notice said the DPCC reserved the right to enforce further coercive measures through concerned Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) and Deputy Commissioner of Police & DISCOM in case of non-compliance of dust control measures at the site.
An inspection of the site carried out by the DPCC had revealed that there was a lot of emission of dust at the site and very few sprinkling system had been found to suppress the dust emission. Of the three Diesel Generator sets, the DPCC team had found that one had no acoustic enclosure. “No proper / top cover barrier provided at site anywhere. Height of barrier should be equal or above the heap of waste lying at the site.”
Quoting the NGT order, the notice said violators shall be liable to pay compensation of Rs 50,000 per default in relation to construction activity at the site and Rs 5,000 for each violation during carriage and transportation of construction material, debris through trucks or other vehicles.
The notice said, “Even if construction has been started after seeking Environmental Clearance under the EIA notification 2006 and after taking other travel but is being carried out without taking the preventive and protective environmental steps as stated the order, the State Government would be entitled to direct stoppage of the work.”
The plant built in partnership with Il&FS Environmental Infrastructure & Services limited which would be run by the company for 15 years and later it would be handed over to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.