NGT asks Faridabad civic body to examine Badkal dumping complaint

The complaint alleged sewage sludge and waste removed during pipeline cleaning were being dumped openly near the JJ cluster and along the pipeline.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) commissioner to examine a complaint alleging open dumping of sewage sludge and waste near a Jhuggi-Jhopri (JJ) cluster at Badkal Mor, adjacent to Badkal flyover, and take appropriate remedial action, officials said on Monday.

The direction was issued on August 4 by a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad while hearing an application filed by Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Budh Colony at Badkal Mor. The application was registered based on a letter petition sent to the tribunal.

According to the order, the applicant alleged that residents of the JJ colony lived in semi-pucca structures and that the corporation had provided water supply pipelines, taps and other facilities. He alleged that the sewage pipeline was not being properly maintained and that sewage sludge and waste extracted during cleaning were being dumped openly alongside the pipeline and near the JJ clusters. Photographs were also submitted to the tribunal in support of the allegation.

The bench said the issue needed to be examined by the concerned local authorities and appropriate remedial action was required. It accordingly directed the MCF commissioner to look into the grievance and take appropriate action.

The tribunal clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the legality of the existence of the JJ cluster.

The NGT Registry was directed to forward the residents’ complaint and the tribunal’s order to the MCF commissioner for necessary compliance. The original application was subsequently disposed of.

The order does not record any finding that the alleged dumping had been established, nor does it specify a remedial measure or timeline for MCF action.

HT reached out to MCF executive engineer (sanitation) Mandeep Sangroha for comment, but he declined to comment on the matter.