NGT panels tells Chandigarh MC to ensure waste segregation
The committee, which was formed to monitor implementation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) rules 2016 in the region, held a meeting in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Amid row over waste collection in Chandigarh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s regional monitoring committee has told the municipal corporation (MC) to ensure waste segregation and effective garbage processing.
The committee, which was formed to monitor implementation of the municipal solid waste (MSW) rules 2016 in the region, held a meeting in Chandigarh on Wednesday. It is chaired by former bureaucrat Rajwant Sandhu.
“During the committee, Chandigarh MC and other stakeholders have been strictly asked to implement MSW rules, which comprise 18 important provisions for effective waste management,” said MC commissioner KK Yadav, who was present during the meeting.
The MC will be submitting the status report based on the fresh instructions in the next meeting, he said.
Yadav said segregation of waste into wet, dry and hazardous waste is mandatory at household level under the MSW rules, which have been recently adopted by Chandigarh through a separate notification. He said the MC has already begun efforts to streamline waste collection through a slew of measures.
MC moving it that direction: Yadav
“The decision to take control of waste collection from private hands is also part of that exercise to make sure that MC fulfills the legal obligation to ensure waste collection at household level, get it collected in same manner and then process it further,” said Yadav.
The MC chief said apart from waste segregation, the civic body has been asked to construct transfer stations, which is already under consideration under the newly proposed system. Besides, it is mandatory to have global position system (GPS) in all transportation vehicles.
Yadav said the MC has also started the process of procuring 250 twin bin garbage vehicles to collect segregated waste from across the city, as decided during the House meet last Friday. He said it would take nearly two months.
The MC chief said under the rules, the processing plant must have separate provision to process wet and dry waste. The Dadumajra plant already has a composting plant for wet waste besides a dry waste processing facility, he said.
The MC has also been asked to impose ban on use of plastic in the city. A tender has already been floated to set up a plastic-to-biofuel plant besides a construction waste plant at the Industrial Area, said Yadav. He said municipal solid waste also remains one of the most serious challenges for environment protection. “Therefore all stakeholders need to cooperate with us to make the city garbage-free,” he said.