Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 16: The Municipal Committee Sopore has been dumping garbage in violation of Municipal Solid Waste and Environment Rules with locals calling for stringent measures to stop the malpractice.
The municipality is dumping waste at Darnambal area of Tarzoo in Sopore with experts claiming that the act is being done in contravention of Waste Management and Environmental Rules.
The municipality is also dumping the waste illegally without any environmental and forest clearances. “They are dumping garbage illegally by violating all the rules related to environment and health. Laws like Biomedical Waste Management Rules, Forest Conservation Rule, Wetland Conservation Rules are all being violated,” Raja Muzaffar, an activist, said.
The locals said that tons of municipal waste are being illegally dumped in the forest area on a daily basis. “The hazardous waste including biomedical waste is dumped openly here. The waste is risking the lives of cows that are brought here for grazing. Besides, the waste attracts dogs and puts the lives of locals at risk,” a local said.
the alleged that municipality is also violating the National Green Tribunal guidelines by dumping the waste unscientifically. Under the Municipal Solid Waste Management rules it is binding on the municipal committee to dispose off the waste scientifically. “We are pursuing the Pollution Control Committee and National Green Tribunal (NGT) to stop dumping as the sizeable chunk of forest land comes under it,” a local said.
The Municipal Committee Sopore began dumping waste at the site last year after the then Chief Justice, Gita Mittal, ordered the closure of Ninglee site as locals had filed a PIL in High Court. However, locals alleged right after her retirement the municipality resumed dumping of solid waste at Darnambal locality, and are again violating MSW rules, Biodiversity rules, Wetland conservation and management rules 2017.
Earlier, the Gram Sabha of four village panchayats in the area wrote to Member Secretary Pollution control board regarding the issue and urged the Pollution Control Committee J&K (PCC) to stop the illegal waste dumping by Municipal Council Sopore. Reacting to the complaint, the secretary directed the regional director Kashmir to form a team of officers to visit the site along with the District In-charge of PCC Baramulla.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, Parvaiz Sajad Ganaie, said that the waste will be dumped scientifically after getting forest and environmental clearance. ” The people have the right to complain about it but their problems will be solved soon. We had to shift the site from a couple of places and that is the reason behind all this,” he said.
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