East Delhi Municipal Corporation moves NGT, demands two plots for waste disposal

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) sought intervention from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday, for urgent direction to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to hand over a 130-acre piece of land at Sonia Vihar and a 50-acre plot at Ghonda Gujran for solid waste management facilities on a priority basis. The civic body moved the NGT following the saturation of the Ghazipur landfill site and non-availability of alternative land to manage the garbage.

A bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim directed the DDA to file its reply before April 23, the next date of hearing.

During the hearing, Balendu Shekhar, appearing for the EDMC, informed the tribunal that the two pieces of land were approved and appraised by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and hence should be handed over to the corporation for handling municipal solid waste.

Meanwhile, Kush Sharma, who was representing the DDA, told the bench that a detailed reply would be filed by it. "The only available site in EDMC jurisdiction i.e., Ghazipur landfill site which was fully saturated way back in 2000 continues to get 1,600 metric tonnes of waste of Delhi on a daily basis even after 17 years of the scheduled closure. This is an alarming situation since the gases trapped in the site are a ticking time bomb, which, if an explosion takes place, will result in cataclysmic repercussion for thousands of people who live in close proximity," the plea read.

It further said that recently, deaths have occurred due to landslides at the landfill site, which has risen up to 65 meters, about 40 meters more than the permissible limit, it read. The experts consulted in this regard, including Manoj Dutta from IIT Delhi, has clearly stated that no reparation work on the site is possible, if continued dumping occurs, the plea added.

"The only reparation including composting, bio-stabilisation, windroz dressing, conversion into biodiversity park (on the lines Swarn Jayanti Park on Ring Road) can only take place, if this landfill site closes for good. There is no other alternative possible in these circumstances," the EDMC said.

The tribunal had earlier directed the Delhi government and the civic bodies to submit an action plan for identifying alternative landfill sites and setting up waste-to-energy plants in the city.

CASE HISTORY

• The tribunal had earlier directed the Delhi government and civic bodies to submit an action plan to identify alternative landfill sites and setting up waste-to-energy plants.