Activist files plaint over waste dumping at main veggie market

Ludhiana: City resident and activist Kapil Arora has filed a complaint with the deputy commissioner (DC), MC commissioner and PPCB chief engineer highlighting the manner in which garbage was being handled at the main vegetable market situated at Bahadur-K-Road.

In his complaint, Arora has stated that despite passing of a notification on the ban of single use plastic eight years ago, the same can be seen everywhere in the market, which clearly construes that the officials of Punjab Mandi Board are not serious about the environment as well as directions of the law. As per affidavit filed by the civic body in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the static compactor was supposed to be installed by June 30, but the same is still awaited.

The incident of burning of garbage is very common and the complainant had moved the NGT over the issue of poor solid waste management at various locations. The same was disposed off with directions to the joint committee to take remedial action in this regard and submit a report with the registrar general of the green tribunal. The report was submitted by the PPCB on February 15. However, no remedial action has been seen in this regard at site.

On Wednesday, the garbage has once again been put on fire in the vegetable market, resulting in severe damage to the environment. As per the report submitted by the PPCB, the Punjab Mandi Board was supposed to provide adequate arrangements for management of solid waste, including installation of mechanical composter or composting pits or any other mechanism, immediately. Besides other remedial actions, the Punjab Mandi Board was also supposed to handle and manage solid waste as per the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and ensure that the waste is segregated & disposed off in an environmentally sound manner. However the Punjab Mandi Board has failed to ensure compliance of the same and the garbage is still being dumped in open areas and along roadsides within the Punjab Mandi Board premises.

The garbage is also burnt causing air pollution. Further, the dumping of garbage in open plots within the premises is resulting in contamination of ground water due to leaching of contaminated effluent from the waste.

Keeping in view of the directions of the Supreme Court; NGT; Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016; Ban on Single Use Plastic as well as Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; Water Act of 1974, criminal prosecution against the officials concerned of the Punjab Mandi Board should be started and also penalty be imposed for burning as well as mishandling of the garbage in an unscientific way, resulting in contamination of the environment, Arora added.