Dadumajra dump: HC stays firm, seeks another action taken report in 30 days

It is the second time in a month that the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha and Justice Arun Palli has sought a report on steps taken to clear the Dadumajra dump in two PILs on the issue. Over 50,000 people living in its immediate neighbourhood have been waging a long battle against pollution, stench and miserable living conditions caused by the landfill.

Earlier, the Chandigarh municipal corporation, through Commissioner Anindita Mitra, submitted a five-page affidavit listing the actions taken to clear the dump. Petitioners Amit Sharma in person and Dipti Singh, represented by her counsel Ranjan Lakhanpal, argued against the affidavit.

Mentioning the action taken on a day-to-day basis, the MC affidavit stated “the waste being dumped at the dumping ground is being regularly covered and sprayed with approximately 4000 litres of Effective Microorganisms (EM) solution of bio-nutrients and bio-organisms to minimize the stench…Leachate being generated from the said waste is being collected in a water tunnel from which it is sucked out by suction tankers and taken to STP for its treatment thereof…”

The MC said it had built a 1200-meter-long and 4.5-meter high wall to prevent the leachate from flowing toward the nearby houses. “Horticulture waste is being separately dumped at the spot in the dumping ground wherein it is converted into manure/compost through the process of aerobic composting by covering it with cow dung, water and soil…The efficiency of the wet waste plant has increased in the past 6 months from 70 TPD (tonnes per day) to 125 TPD. A pilot has also been done which has reduced the composting cycle from 45 days to 28 days, which shall, if successful, further enhance the capacity of the wet waste plant”, read the affidavit.

Giving details on their plans to clear the entire site of 45 acres, the affidavit mentioned, “There is a site of 20 acres of legacy waste of 5 LMT (lakh metric tonne), bioremediation of which was initiated on October 21, 2019. 3.65 LMT of the same has already been processed and eight acres of land have been reclaimed by Municipal Corporation. The entire quantum shall be processed by March 2023 and thereafter the entire site of 20 acres shall be reclaimed and would be available with Municipal Corporation.”

“An incinerator is being purchased by MCC to process 94 TPD of sanitary waste”, stated the affidavit.

Detailing its long-term measures, the MC mentioned, “An RFP (request for proposal) for integrated Solid Waste Management shall be floated by June 15, 2022. The project shall include the collection and transportation of segregated waste from all residential and market areas and the setting up and operations of separate plants for processing dry waste and wet waste (including horticulture waste). The project has been designed keeping in mind the projected quantum of waste to be generated in the city for a period of 25 years.”

Contesting the claims made by the MC, petitioner Amit Sharma argued that the ground reality at the dumping ground is vastly different. The leachate, the stench, and the mountain of garbage have not reduced for over a decade despite the same or similar submissions made by various officers of the Municipal Corporation over several years.

Sharma submitted that from 2008 to date, MC has been giving similar assurances. Tenders have been floated, and companies have also been hired but nothing has changed on the ground, he alleged.

Sharma further pointed out before the HC that the MC spent Rs 33 crore a year ago, which they later said would be able to clear only half the waste. “Then MC spent money on machinery that a senior official had said was beyond repair, and now they have raised a bill of another Rs 77 crore to clear the garbage while refusing to fix its collection”, he said.

Highlighting the yawning gap between the waste generated and the waste processed, he argued that unless MC follows the Solid Waste Management laws, garbage will continue to pile up. After hearing the arguments, the HC adjourned the matter and asked the MC to file another status report in 30 days.