High court steps in to clear Delhi’s garbage mess

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Capital's civic authorities to co-ordinate and immediately find a new site in the city for dumping garbage and also form a panel to come up with a solution.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Capital's civic authorities to co-ordinate and immediately find a new site in the city for dumping garbage and also form a panel to come up with a solution.

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Justice GS Sistani told chiefs of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and trifurcated Municipal Corporations of Delhi who had been summoned to the court: "You all are responsible officers and you all know your responsibilities. There is no progress in this matter. What have you done for the past three years despite court orders to find a site?"

The issue acquired urgency as the present dumping sites at Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla have reached their saturation points. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has already suggested banning of further dumping at these sites.

The court was hearing a petition filed by the municipal corporation, accusing the DDA of not allotting them new sites despite an order by the Supreme Court in year 2000. To enforce co-ordination, the court directed formation of a committee which would comprise senior officers of the land owning agency DDA, trifurcated civic agencies (MCDs), land and building department of the Delhi government and its departments of environment and urban development.

Sumeet Pushkarna, counsel for the municipal corporations, told the court that they were being forced to continue the use of the present sites despite the risk of loss of human life and property.

"DDA needs to consider from a list of new sites that we have suggested," the lawyer said.

The civic agency's plea to allow use of large pits in the sprawling Bhatti mines area as landfill sites is already pending before the court but environmentalists are opposed to the suggestion.