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Dadumajra landfill: HC tells Chandigarh MC chief to submit fresh action-taken report
As Chandigarh MC chief cited steps being taken to tackle the waste dumped at Dadumajra landfill, petitioners submitted these were only old promises that bore no result
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday directed the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) to submit a fresh action-taken report on the processing and clearing of waste dumped at the Dadumajra landfill.
The directions came after MC commissioner Anindita Mitra submitted the civic body’s long-range and short-term plan, which the petitioners dismissed as old announcements being made since 2008.
Amit Sharma, a Sector-27 resident, who has filed the second petition on the issue, countered MC’s claims by submitting that the ground reality at the dumping ground was vastly different.
The leachate, stench and mountain of garbage had not reduced for over a decade, despite similar announcements made by various MC officials over several years, he said, while asserting that unless MC followed the Solid Waste Management laws, garbage will continue to pile up.
Progress in the case should be monitored by the court as over the years people had lost their faith in the ability of officials to manage the waste, he submitted.
Appearing for petitioner Dipti Singh, advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal demanded that the landfill be shifted to another site, as MC had failed to take steps for proper disposal of waste. However, Mitra responded that relocation was not possible.
Mitra told the court that the waste was being regularly covered and sprayed with 4,000 litres of bio-nutrients and bio-organisms to minimise the stench. Leachate was being sucked out by suction tankers and taken to the adjoining sewage treatment plant for treatment. Horticulture waste is being converted into manure through aerobic composting.
It was further submitted that a 1,200-metre-long and 4.5-metre-high wall had been constructed to prevent leachate from leaking into nearby houses.
It was informed that the process to clear 5 lakh MT (metric tonnes) of legacy waster on 20 acres of land was initiated in October 2019. Through this, 3.65 lakh MT waste had been processed and eight acres reclaimed. Remaining waste would be processed by March 2023.
There is another dump of 7.67 lakh MT legacy waste spread over eight acres. For processing this, ₹68 crore had been sanctioned and tender had been floated to clear it in 43 months from July 2022.
As per Mitra, the city produces 200 tonnes of dry waste and 350 tonnes of wet waste on a daily basis.
The existing solid waste processing plant is being upgraded to process 150 tonnes of dry waste per day (TPD). Similarly, wet waste plant’s capacity has been increased from 70 to 125 TPD and composting cycle has been reduced from 45 days to 28 days.
For disposal of hazardous waste, a tricity-level project is being planned.
Detailing MC’s long-term plan, Mitra told the court that IIT Ropar was roped in to develop an integrated solid waste management plan. The request for proposal for this will would be floated by June 2022. The project will include collection, transportation and processing of segregated waste. The project is being designed keeping in mind the quantum of waste to be generated in the city over the next 25 years.
Considering the petitioners’ arguments, the court posted the matter for hearing after a month, while directing the MC commissioner to share a fresh-action taken report.
