NGT directs Delhi CS, LG to look into availability of suitable land for solid waste management

The National Green Tribunal October 28 directed the Chief Secretary and the Lieutenant Governor to look into the issue of availability of suitable land for solid waste management at Ranikhera in north west Delhi. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the problem of tackling accumulated waste still remains unaddressed and has to be sorted out by the Chief Secretary and the Lieutenant Governor.

"The issue of availability of suitable land for solid waste management has to be first sorted out by the Chief Secretary and the Lieutenant Governor and if the said authorities take a decision on such issue, it will be open to the DSIIDC to move this Tribunal based on such decision, " the bench said. The NGT passed the order on a plea filed by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) seeking review of its earlier order that commercial buildings cannot be developed on sites available for waste management.

DSIIDC said the direction needs to be vacated as it has got the layout plan approved for setting up a multilevel manufacturing hub as per the MPD-2021 on a plot identified as a sanitary landfill site. It stated that there is a viable alternative in the form of 42.5 acres of land which needs to be considered and the tribunal had earlier rejected its prayer on the footing that thereis no viable alternative.

The Tribunal had earlier directed that availability of land for waste management being a necessity, commercial buildings be not developed on available sites for waste management. The Chief Secretary of NCT Delhi or the Lieutenant Governor, if the Lieutenant Governor so desire, shall hold a meeting within two weeks from today and consider the list of the sites submitted by the Corporation, the site of DSIIDC and the site of NTPC at Badarpur Thermal Plant as well.

The sites would be selected while taking a comprehensive approach and keeping in mind the siting criteria prescribed under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the NGT had said in its order. Till the sites are earmarked and finalized for being utilized for management of solid municipal waste in Delhi including setting up of a landfill site, composting, RDF plant and Waste to Energy Plant, all the authorities including Delhi Development Authority, DSIIDC, Corporation shall not place or award work for building up of any commercial building in the lands which have been referred to for the site, the NGT had said in its 2017 order.