Jhuriwala village, Panchkula: HC tells Haryana to file reply on shifting dumping ground

A garbage dumping ground in Panchkula. (Express Photo)

 

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the Haryana government to file a reply on the possibility of shifting a dumping ground from its existing place at Jhuriwala village. The High Court observed that while the Prime Minister is promoting Swachh Bharat, the Panchkula administration is setting up a dumping ground near a residential area.

During the resumed hearing of the case on poor civic facilities in the city before the bench of Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, several officials, including the additional chief secretary of the state urban development department Anand Mohan Sharma and Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula Gauri Parashar Joshi, who had been summoned last month by the court were present.

Sharma informed the court that the government has already received environment clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests and National Green Tribunal for the solid waste management facility and it is always difficult to acquire land or get a no objection certificate (NoC) for establishing new dumping grounds in view of opposition from residents of the areas.

The official stand was strongly opposed by the petitioner’s counsel who said the dumping ground has been established near the residential houses and should be shifted to some other place.

The officials, during the resumed hearing, also informed the bench that the work of installing LED lights in the municipal area is in progress. During the hearing, the issue of the back-to-back transfer of Panchkula Municipal Commissioners was also raised to which the counsels representing the government assured the court that appropriate steps will be taken for posting of a regular commissioner in the municipality.

During one of the earlier hearings of the case, the High Court had directed the Haryana Pollution Control Board to inspect the dumping ground regularly and spray herbal sanitizer at the dump site to prevent the foul spell and environmental hazards. “Fogging of malathyne be also done every week to keep away the flies.

It will not burn the garbage or allow anyone to go at the garbage site until and unless, the identification of the new area and setting up of the waste disposal,” Justice Amit Rawal had said in the order dated May 30.

The case had been adjourned on the subsequent hearings in view of the law and order problem in Panchkula. The Court had earlier enlarged the ambit of the writ petition while recording a number of issues pertaining to the city.

The case will next come up for hearing on October 24.