The Amritsar Municipal Corporation has failed to clear around 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste dumped across 11 acres at the Chabhal Road site despite repeated directions, regulatory action and an ₹8-crore environmental compensation penalty.
Flagging continued lapses before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) highlighted how the site lacked functional machinery for bio-remediation of legacy waste, and arrangements for drainage and leachate treatment.
The board submitted its inspection findings through an affidavit before the NGT on August 27 in an ongoing petition filed by one Sunil Luthra, who had raised the issue before the tribunal.
Chabhal Road is a major arterial corridor in the southwestern part of Amritsar, connecting the city with Chabhal town in Tarn Taran district. The route passes through several densely populated localities, including Shaheed Udham Singh Colony, Indra Colony and Ibban Kalan, making it an important transport and residential corridor on the city’s outskirts.
In its affidavit, the PPCB questioned Amritsar MC’s failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, noting large quantities of mixed waste dumped at the site and no arrangements for its scientific treatment and disposal.
For these lapses, the PPCB submitted that the MC had faced a series of financial penalties and repeated regulatory directions since 2020, including an ₹8-crore environmental compensation. Yet, subsequent inspections continued to reveal deficiencies at the dump site.
{{/usCountry}}For these lapses, the PPCB submitted that the MC had faced a series of financial penalties and repeated regulatory directions since 2020, including an ₹8-crore environmental compensation. Yet, subsequent inspections continued to reveal deficiencies at the dump site.
{{/usCountry}}The PPCB has now sought to take the matter forward through proceedings before the adjudicating officer-cum-secretary, department of science, technology and environment, Punjab, under Section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Municipal commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill said, “The work to clear the site of legacy waste has already been allotted. The site will be cleared completely and the land will be reclaimed for productive use.”