NGT seeks E S’bhum’s reply over Dumohini garbage dump

Jamshedpur: The authorities of Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) are preparing to reply to the queries posed by the eastern zone bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) about the garbage dumping near Dumohini.
Speaking to TOI, JNAC special officer Suresh Kumar said reply would be given to the NGT within the stipulated time frame, set by the bench composed of judicial member B Amit Sthelkhar and expert member Afroz Ahmad. The fire at the garbage site has been completely doused. Now, the next step of clearing the mounds will be taken up, he added.
He, however, accepted that garbage is still being dumped at the site as the alternative place at Khairbani is yet to be cleared by the administration. The garbage generated by around 15 lakh residents of the Steel City have to be disposed of in a proper way. Hence, Khairbani, which is outside the city limits, has been chosen for this purpose.
Meanwhile, sources said NGT has expressed annoyance over the laid-back attitude of the administration, including the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB), in handling the issue that concerns several thousands of people residing in the apartments and slum areas in the periphery of the dumping yard.
KS Upadhyay of Sonari had filed a complaint in the NGT alleging that the garbage and the smoke was making life miserable for the residents living in the area.
They had taken the step after no action was taken over the repeated complaints they had filed with the administration. They had approached politicians of both the ruling and the opposition parties too, but no action was taken, said Ramesh Kumar, an area resident.
TOI, too, in the past few months, had highlighted the woes of the residents living near the garbage dump. Thereafter, health and disaster management minister Banna Gupta, who is the local MLA, drafted a plan to construct a park and a water reservoir on that garbage dump. He assured the residents that the park would be ready this year.
Meanwhile, sources said deputy commissioner (DC) Vijaya Jadhav, who is another party to the case before the NGT, has virtually appeared through her lawyer and sought two-week time to file a counter-affidavit.
The bench has directed the DC to file the counter affidavit by March 14, 2023.
Upadhyay alleged that the accused parties, including Tata Steel Utilities Infrastructure and Services Limited, had violated the Environment Conservation Act.