Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 23: High Court today directed the Secretary Legal Services Authority to submit the report with regard to feasibility and suitability of the dumping site as identified by the authorities in north Kashmir’s Sopore.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sanjay Dhar sought a report from Secretary LSA and the petitioner counsel Shafkat Nazir with seven days indicating as to whether the site identified for dumping garbage is suitable or not.
The direction followed after the court has been informed that alternate site for the purpose has been identified. Court had directed the Deputy Commissioner to submit fresh action taken report (ATR) with regard to the establishment of alternate dumping site for lifting of garbage from the town Sopore.
District Legal Services Authority Baramulla had already suggested three places for establishing dumping ground for the garbage instead of present garbage site.
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 dumping.
Central Auqaf Committee Tarzoo consisting of eight Auqaf Committees of the area, filed the instant PIL seeking a slew of directions to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, J&K Government and direction to Municipal Council for immediate removal of garbage dumped in violation of provision of the law on the spot.
“A direction to the Municipal Council Sopore to stop dumping of municipal solid waste on the ramsar wetland site situated at Dharnambal-Ningli Tarzoo in Sopore which falls within the delineated periphery pillars of the Wular Conservation and Management Authority (WUCMA) and also within the limits of Hygam-Ningli-Tarzoo Tourism Development Authority”, reads the PIL.
Petitioners urge before the court for developing the area in planned manner given its huge tourism potential while taking care of the environmental sensitivities. It is alleged that the Municipal Council Sopore has started dumping solid waste on the boundary of the Wular Lake against the Solid Waste Management Rules. Resulting into converting the site in question into a stinky marsh.
The area it may be noted was earlier identified as the recreational park and has presently converted into a dumping site without seeking any permission or NOC from the Pollution Control Board or WUCMA.
The land which is being used as garbage dumping site belongs to the Forest Department, and comes under the immediate control and management of WUCMA as such it was obligatory for the Municipal Council to take prior permission from the said authorities before dumping the municipal waste on the banks of Wular Lake.
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