Deposit Rs 75 crore to clear Pirana dump site: National Green Tribunal directs Gujarat govt

As the waste dumping yard at Pirana continues to be a major source of air pollution in the city, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the state government to deposit Rs 75 crore in an escrow account to clear the site. The NGT pulled up State and civic authorities, saying concrete steps need to be taken in this regard.

In March, the Gujarat High Court had lambasted Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for its lackadaisical approach in dealing with the closure of Pirana landfill site and development of an alternate site.

The bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel also set a deadline of two weeks for authorities to attend to the issue and demanded that clearance activity starts within a month. It also stipulated that a part of the recovered land must be used for integrated waste processing, and suggested that it be utilised to process hazardous waste in a scientific manner.

A bio-diversity park could be developed in the periphery to improve ambient air quality, Justice Goel said.

A committee, which includes the chief secretary, finance and urban development secretaries, AMC commissioner, member secretary of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), and the regional director of Central Pollution Control Board, was formed to devise a revised action plan. It has been directed to meet within two weeks and plan the actions required to be taken within a month.

The GPCB was also directed to ensure that industries do not violate norms and use pet coke (petroleum coke) and furnace oils. AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra was unavailable for a comment.