Ludhiana: NGT flags poor waste mgmt, seeks officials’ response

Following a petition highlighting the environmental damage and health hazards caused by the “mismanaged” waste, the NGT had formed a joint committee to assess the situation

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed concern over the poor state of solid waste management at multiple locations in Ludhiana, including Gill village pond, Model Town Extension’s Improvement Trust plot, Giaspura EWS flats, GT road, wholesale vegetable market, 200-foot road and Bachan Singh Marg.

The deputy advocate general of Punjab has sought four weeks’ time to submit response. (HT File)

Following a petition highlighting the environmental damage and health hazards caused by the “mismanaged” waste, the NGT had formed a joint committee to assess the situation. The committee had submitted a report claiming that all identified sites had been cleared. However, petitioners alleged that the report was false and misleading.

Taking cognisance of the objections, the NGT appointed Bhanwar Pal Jadon as court commissioner to conduct an independent inspection. After visiting the sites, the commissioner flagged significant lapses in solid waste management, pointing to environmental degradation and adverse effects on residents near the sites.

Based on the commissioner’s findings, the NGT chairperson criticised the joint committee for presenting a misleading report and indicated that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for the false submission.

The deputy advocate general of Punjab, representing the district magistrate of Ludhiana, has sought four weeks to file an affidavit addressing the court commissioner’s findings. Similarly, the commissioner of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and the member secretary of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) have been directed to submit affidavits in response to the report.

Activists Kapil Arora and Kuldeep Singh Khaira, who are actively pursuing the matter, stated that sites like Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Churpur inner roads, which had been cleared before the commissioner’s visit, have once again been filled with garbage. “We are preparing our response as directed by the NGT and will submit it within the stipulated time,” said Arora.