E-Paper
NGT directs PMC to respond over inaction on garbage burning, air quality monitoring
NGT reprimands Pune Municipal Corporation for non-compliance on garbage burning control, demands a response in two weeks to improve air quality.
The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) western zonal bench in the city has pulled up the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for failing to comply with an earlier directive aimed at curbing the burning of garbage and improving air quality in the city. The NGT has ordered the PMC to submit a detailed response within two weeks.
The directive came during a hearing held on July 2 in response to an execution application (formal request made to a court to enforce an order) filed by the citizens’ group, ‘Citizens for Area Sabha’. The group alleged that the PMC had failed to implement the NGT’s previous order dated May 29, 2024, which required the deputy commissioner of solid waste management to hold monthly reviews on garbage burning control and upload related ‘action taken’ reports on the civic body’s official website.
The NGT bench comprising justice Dinesh Kumar Singh, judicial member; and Vijay Kulkarni, expert member took serious note of the non-compliance pointed out by the citizens’ group and instructed the PMC to file its reply affidavit via the NGT’s e-filing portal as also provide a copy to the applicant (Citizens for Area Sabha). The bench directed the applicant to provide all the relevant supporting documents to the PMC within a week’s time. The bench also permitted the applicant to file a rejoinder, if any, within one week thereafter. The tribunal also instructed the NGT Registry to issue notice to the PMC. However, the notice has been waived as the PMC’s counsel, advocate Shubham Rathod, accepted it during the proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled on July 25, 2025.
The case follows a news report published on December 27, 2023, that raised alarm over frequent burning of garbage across Pune and its contribution to the declining air quality. The NGT took suo moto cognisance of the report, and stressed on the need for strict monitoring and corrective measures.
Whereas the NGT’s latest directive underlines the importance of transparency, routine oversight, and institutional accountability in the realm of waste management and pollution control. By reiterating its earlier order, the tribunal has sought to ensure that civic bodies like the PMC uphold their responsibility to the environment without delay or negligence. Environmental activists and citizens have welcomed the NGT’s stance, hoping that it will compel local authorities to act decisively against the burning of garbage in the open which remains a major source of air pollution in Pune.
