Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 3 : High Court directed Deputy Commissioner Baramulla to submit its fresh action taken report (ATR) with regard to the establishment of an alternate dumping site for lifting of garbage from the town Sopore.
As the District Legal Services Authority Baramulla has already suggested three places for establishing dumping ground for the garbage instead of the present garbage site, but despite that nothing has been done to establish the new place for dumping of garbage.
Court was hearing a PIL mentioning therein that with impunity and in violation of the rules governing the field, the garbage collected by the Municipal Council Sopore is being dumped on the banks of the Wullar lake causing grave harm to the ecology and environment of the water body by converting it into garbage site.
The Government counsel however, informed the court that recently the new Deputy Commissioner Baramulla has taken over the charge and, as such, he may be allowed some more time for taking action in regard to the matters connected in this PIL.
The division bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice V C Koul in view of the submission made by the Government counsel directed to submit a fresh action taken report regarding the establishment of the dumping ground for the garbage and for cleaning and lifting of the garbage from the town of Sopore. “He may file the report within one month supported by affidavit of the Deputy Commissioner himself”, DB directed.
It is WUCMA in its reply submitted before the court that Municipal Committee Sopore has illegal dumped municipal solid waste with the demarcated area of Wular Lake and also carried out unauthorized constructions in the said area.
WUCAM added that taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions, the MC Sopore has started dumping solid waste in the Wular Lake which is in violation of Wetland (conservation & management) rules, 2017, High Court orders, National Green Tribunal Orders and Solid Waste Management Rules and taking cognizance of said violation by MC Sopore, WUCMA issued notice to Executive Officer of the said Committee to stop the illegal activity.
Central Auqaf Committee consisting of eight Auqaf committees of the area, filed the instant PIL seeking slew of directions to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, J&K government and to Municipal Council for immediate removal of garbage dumped on the spot.
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