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Green tribunal fines Ludhiana MC ₹25,000 over failure to submit report on Sidhwan canal cleaning
The National Green Tribunal has fined a municipal corporation ₹25,000 for failing to address pollution concerns in the Sidhwan canal and has given two weeks to submit a further report. The corporation claimed to have cleaned 90% of the canal but the illegal garbage dump near Gill Bridge remains unaddressed. The municipal commissioner has requested another opportunity to file a fresh report.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a penalty of ₹25,000 on the municipal corporation (MC) for its failure to address the pollution concerns plaguing the Sidhwan canal and granted two weeks time to submit the further report.
The decision was pronounced during a hearing held on Thursday.
Applicants Kapil Arora and Kuldeep Singh Khaira revealed that they had filed a petition with the NGT after the civic body’s inability to initiate a cleanliness drive along the Sidhwan canal.
The green tribunal issued a notice to the civic body, prompting the corporation to commence the process to clean the canal bed.
However, the illegal secondary garbage dump near Gill Bridge remained unaddressed. The MC claimed to have cleaned 90% of the Sidhwan canal, responding to orders from the NGT on July 21, 2023.
The green tribunal had directed the civic body to shift the waste collection site from the canal bank to prevent further disposal into the water body and manage encroachments on both sides. On November 2, 2023, the tribunal directed MC to dispose of the remaining solid waste within three months and submit an action taken report.
Despite the passage of more than a year, the MC has failed to comply with the directives, claimed by the applicants.
Notably, the municipal commissioner Sandeep Rishi attended the NGT’s January 11, 2024, hearing virtually, but could not provide a satisfactory reply to the tribunal.
The commissioner requested another opportunity to file a fresh report. Noting the lack of effective preventive measures taken by the civic authority, the NGT imposed a fine of ₹25,000. The commissioner was granted two weeks to submit a further report.
Addressing the issue, Rishi said, “We are already making efforts to make an integrated solid waste management process and submit the affidavit regarding the things and efforts we have made in regard to this. Moreover, land has been allotted where static compactor will be installed and garbage dump will be shifted.”
