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PPCB to penalise Ludhiana MC for failure to manage solid waste
Last year too, the PPCB had imposed a ₹1.8 crore penalty on the civic body on the directions of the National Green Tribunal for the period from July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021
After fire incidents were reported at the municipal corporation’s primary dumping ground on Tajpur Road for four consecutive days, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on Monday said that it will penalise the civic body for its failure to manage the city’s solid waste.
The PPCB officials observed that lack of solid waste management in the city was resulting in air and water pollution.
Spread over 40 acres, around 20 lakh metric tonnes of garbage had accumulated on the main dump site of the municipal corporation. Waste processing has not been taking place on the site since February 2021, after A2Z company terminated its solid waste management contract with the city. Everyday around 1,100 metric tonnes of garbage is generated in the city and dumped on the landfill. As per civic body officials, fires erupt at the main dump site due to generation of highly combustible methane gas amid high temperatures.
A major fire had broken out at the landfill site on Friday night, which raged for around 19 hours. Toxic smoke shrouded the area, leaving residents living in its proximity gasping for breath. More fire incidents have been reported from the site since. As the waste continued to smoulder, firefighters were seen stationed at the dump on Monday as well.
Alleging that they were facing respiratory and skin issues due to regular fire incidents, residents of Mahavir Jain Colony, GK Estate, Puneet Colony, Naamdev Colony, and Kakka village among other areas in the vicinity of the landfill have been clamouring for action against the civic body.
PPCB chief engineer Gulshan Rai said that PPCB officials had visited the site, and the case file had been forwarded to the senior officials for taking a final decision on the penalty to be imposed on the civic body.
Meanwhile, MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said that the project to dispose of 5 lakh metric tonnes of garbage in a phases was at a nascent stage, and that the MC was looking into hiring a solid waste management contractor in the city.
₹1.8 crore penalty still due
Last year too, the PPCB had imposed a ₹1.8 crore penalty on the civic body on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for the period from July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. However, the MC has not paid the penalty yet.
