Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 12: The High Court has taken serious note for not filing detailed explanation by the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) with regard to Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in the resort and granted last opportunity for the same with imposing penalty on GDA.
Hearing an application on the news item reported in Daily Excelsior (Irreversible damage to world famous destination’s ecology, PCB issues show cause notice to GDA for non-functional segregator and Incinerator), the Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta observed that the GDA have no intention to comply with Court orders and was simply biding time and imposed penalty of Rs 25000 on it.
The DB recorded that Court was inclined to initiate contempt of court proceedings against CEO GDA in view of the news report but GDA counsel submitted that there is some communication gap on account of the COVID-19 situation.
The GDA counsel prayed for one last opportunity to place the detailed explanation about the issue raised in the news report. “We grant one such opportunity subject to payment of costs of Rs 25000 which shall be deposited within seven days in the Advocates Welfare Fund. Proof of deposit shall accompany the compliance report before the next date”, DB directed.
Court preponed the date of listing of the matter as given the reluctance of the GDA to ensure preservation of the ecology of resort or the protection therein and the importance of the matter. Court took note of the report published in Daily Excelsior which revealed that Pollution Control Board upon receipt of various reports from different quarters regarding handling and disposal of municipal solid waste by the GDA in an illegal, unscientific and environment unfriendly manner, has issued the show cause notice to the CEO GDA seeking explanation as to why Environment Compensation under Polluter Pays Principle be not recovered for causing irreversible damage to the ecology of the resort.
As per the findings of Regional Director, it pointed out that un-segregated municipal solid waste is being continuously disposed off unscientifically by GDA and the mechanical segregator and incinerator are non-functional since August 2019 which is brazed defiance of the directions issued by the National Green Tribunal and in violations of Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2016.
The PCB has further noticed that the modus operandi by the GDA for handling and disposal of municipal waste has put the environment of the area to grave threat besides polluting surface and ground water ecosystem.
The Regional Director has confirmed the solid waste treatment facility is non-functional as the said facility has been installed by the GDA without the mandatory consent from PCB and the littering and dumping of the waste is taking place in open areas of Meadows and Forest areas thereby severely disturbing the ecology of the famous tourist resort.
The CJ has been informed that PCB has also noticed various other deficiencies which is revealed in the news report and needs to be taken note of in the interest of safeguarding the tourist destination.
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