The Jammu and Kashmir high court has issued a showcase notice to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) for violating court directions on management and handling of solid waste.
The court has given four weeks time to file their response to the show-cause notice to SMC commissioner GN Qasba, ERA chief executive officer S Bhagat and deputy project manager ERA Manzoor Ahmad.
A division bench of the high court comprising chief justice MM Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi passed the direction on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) titled 'Farah Khan versus state'.
The court observed that the three officers despite giving undertaking to the court, are culpable of violating court directions.
High Court registrar judicial, who on the direction of the court visited the dumping site at Achan, submitted a report.
After pursuing the report, the court issued the show-cause notice to these officers.
There is prima-facie case against the officers who despite giving undertaking to the court have failed to implement the court directions, the court said.
"We had made it clear to these officers if provisions of the Act were not implemented, the court may be forced to invoke section 15 of the Act under which an erring officer can face five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh or both."
{{/usCountry}}"We had made it clear to these officers if provisions of the Act were not implemented, the court may be forced to invoke section 15 of the Act under which an erring officer can face five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh or both."
{{/usCountry}}The Court had directed the respondents to implement Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
However, on the request of SMC, last opportunity of three months from November, 2012 was granted for bringing dumping site at Achan in tune with the rules which had come to end in January, 2013.