Shut down illegal garbage-dumping sites: NGT

BENGALURU: The National Green Tribunal's state-level committee (SLC) directed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner to shut down the illegal waste dumping sites at Gunjur and Dommasandra, off Sarjapur Road.
This comes in the backdrop of the recent inspection of Gunjur and Dommasandra dumping sites by the committee members following a complaint from a resident, who alleged that waste segregation and burning were causing health hazards.

In a letter, NGT-SLC chairman Justice Subhash B Adi directed BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad to issue public notices addressed to all bulk waste generators such as IT companies, hospitals, hotels and big apartments complexes, warning them not to hand over solid waste to unauthorised individuals or agencies.
In the order NGT said, "Penalty should be imposed on all bulk waste generators disposing waste to these unregistered, unauthorised private operators. While citizens blame that garbage is not collected by authorised vendors, NGT directed the BMBP to immediately establish a digitised smart control room to monitor solid waste management effectively."
The letter directed BBMP to close illegal dumping sites and initiate action against unauthorised private operators in the city by booking criminal cases and imposing penalties on violators. What is ironical is that the BBMP garbage-disposal tender process includes all the points which the NGT has ordered.
Justice Adi has ordered additional measures such as fitting all vehicles used for transportation of waste with GPS tracking and geo-fencing, compulsory registration of drivers and collectors via biometric system to keep tabs on illegal dumping of waste.
During the inspection, it was found that labourers from Kolkata were used to segregate waste into recyclables while the remaining waste, including infectious items, were set on fire.