NGT constituted team visits Achan Landfill site

Srinagar July 15: The high-level team constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) visited the Achan landfill site at Eidgah on Monday.

The team was led by the Regional Director Central Pollution Control Board -CPCB  Dr Nerender Sharma and expert from the National Wetlands Committee Prof Sanjay Deshmukh. The team was assisted by District Administration Srinagar and interacted with the officers of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, local residents of Saidapora Achan area of Eidgah and petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat.

The matter related to unscientific waste management in Srinagar was taken up by Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat in the NGT.  In its order issued in May this year the NGT directed constitution of the aforementioned committee to ascertain the correct ground position and the extent of pollution caused by the illegal dumping at the landfill site in question, consequential health hazard created by it.

The tribunal had directed this team to suggest remedial measures including setting up of waste processing  facilities to zero down landfill and submit the report before the Tribunal within eight weeks.

The committee comprises representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the National Wetland Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, and the Member Secretary of the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC). The Deputy Commissioner  Srinagar has been nominated as the nodal agency for this committee.

In his petition, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, through his counsel Advocate Itisha Awasthi, has raised the grievance against “illegal and unscientific” dumping of municipal solid waste at Achan causing extensive environmental pollution.