Srinagar Feb 26 (KNS): The National Green Tribunal -NGT has constituted a joint committee of the officers of Central Pollution Control Board -CPCB & Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change MoEFCC to undertake on-spot assessment of solid and liquid waste generated in Srinagar city along with Chadoora and Budgam towns. The committee has been asked to submit the report within 8 weeks to the NGT. This order comes after Commissioner / Secretary J&K Housing and Urban Development Department-HUDD failed to provide satisfactory response to the NGT’s three member bench recently headed by Justice Prakash Shrivastava (Chairperson) in the case of Doodh Ganga pollution filed by Activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat. This case was filed in 2021 and since then the NGT has issued a number of orders which includes imposition of Environmental Compensation -EC on Srinagar Municipal Corporation-SMC, Municipal Committee Chadoora and Municipal Council Budgam. The Geology and mining Department Budgam was also penalised with Rs 1 crore more than two years back.
In an order passed on February 18th 2025 by NGT bench of Justice Prakash (Chairperson) Srivastava Sudhir Agarwal (Judicial Member) and Dr A. Senthil Vel (Expert Member) said that figures disclosed regarding solid and liquid waste generation in Srinagar , Chadoora town and Budgam town by Ms Mandeep Kour, Commissioner / Secretary J&K Housing and Urban Development Department -HUDD do not tally with the disclosures made earlier. The NGT bench in its order said:
“ Hence we are of the view that the correct position in respect of solid waste management and liquid waste management is required to be ascertained. Hence, we appoint a joint Committee comprising the representative of the Member Secretary, CPCB and the Regional Officer, MoEF&CC, Chandigarh. The joint Committee will visit all the three local bodies, i.e., Budgam, Chadoora and Srinagar and will ascertain the status of generation and treatment of solid and liquid waste, number of STPs which are existing, their capacity and capacity utilization, the legacy waste which is existing and the progress in clearing the legacy waste in last one year and if the STP is found to be existing, the report relating to performance of the said STP, including the treated water test analysis report. Let this exercise be completed by the joint Committee and the report be submitted before the Tribunal within eight weeks “
The NGT’s bench also lambasted the Member Secretary J&K Pollution Control Committee -J&K PCC for filing a faulty compliance report on 17th February 2025 against the four officers including forming SMC Commissioner , former Chief Engineer UEED Kashmir and two Executive Officers working in Chadoora and Budgam towns some years back.
“The compliance report dated 17.02.2025 has been filed by the J&KPCC stating that the complaints have been filed against four officers who remained posted as Commissioner, SMC, Chief Engineer, 2 UEED, J&K and Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, Budgam and Chandoora before the adjudicating officer under Section 15 (b) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. On perusal of the said complaint, it is noticed that the complaint suffers from various defects since the Act and Rules under which the violations have been made have not been correctly mentioned, and it has not even been stated under which Act the said complaint has been made.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe complaint suffers from the defect of non-application of mind. The Member Secretary, J&KPCC submits that he will re-examine the complaint and will take necessary steps to ensure that the proper complaint mentioning clear violation, violators and the provisions of law is made “ reads the order
The National Green Tribunal during the hearing also questioned the Member Secretary J&K PCC for having failed to recover an amount of Rs 46.50 Crores approximately from Srinagar Municipal Corporation -SMC, Chadoora and Budgam Municipalities. Out of this amount Rs 41.47 crores was to be recovered from SMC alone, while a penalty of Rs 1.41 Crore and Rs 3.72 Crore has been imposed on MC Chadoora and Budgam respectively for polluting Doodh Ganga and Mamath nallah.
“In the order dated 24.10.2024, it was also recorded that Environmental Compensation (EC) of Rs. 141.43 lakhs was levied upon the Municipal Council, Chadoora for violation for 1267 days by order dated 30.09.2024, EC of Rs. 372.17 lakhs was levied upon the MC, Budgam for violation of 1267 days and EC of Rs. 41.47 crores was levied upon the Municipal Corporation, Srinagar. The Member Secretary, J&KPCC, during the previous proceeding, had stated that prompt action will be taken to recover the said EC. Thereafter, almost four months have passed, but no effective action has been taken for the recovery of EC. The Member Secretary, J&KPCC has now submitted that last opportunity be granted for taking effective steps and file a report concerning the progress made in the recovery of EC “ the NGT order further reads
Mandeep Kour, Commissioner/Secretary HUDD who was present in the hearing on Feb 18th 2025 before NGT through virtual mode informed the tribunal that in Budgam, 6.18 TPD of solid waste is generated, out of which 3.4 TPD is treated and entire legacy waste has been remediated and as on today, there is zero legacy waste within the local body of Budgam. She submitted that 2.23 MLD of sewage is generated within the Budgam and there is no STP and the entire untreated sewage is flowing in the water bodies. As far as Chadoora is concerned, she disclosed that 3.05 TPD of solid waste is generated and the entire solid waste generated within local limits of Chadoora is treated and there is no legacy waste existing in Chadoora. In respect of sewage, she has disclosed that 0.94 MLD of sewage is generated in Chadoora, and there is no STP. So far as Srinagar is concerned, she disclosed that 525 TPD of solid waste is generated, out of which 184.5 TPD is treated and there is legacy waste of 11 lakh MT. She has also submitted that 158 MLD of sewage is generated within the limits of Srinagar and there are 11 STPs treating 67.28 MLD of sewage. As per NGTs order the figures disclosed by Commissioner/Secretary HUDD didn’t tally with the disclosures made earlier that is the reason they constituted a team of CPCB & MOEFCC to ascertain the facts . The case has now been listed for hearing on 22nd May 2025.(KNS)