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This is an archive article published on February 18, 2023
Delhi govt to pay Rs 3,132 cr for improper waste management
On raising the funds, the order said that, if necessary, the government may lay down mechanisms for raising funds by way of user charges by households or contributions from business sectors, commercial establishments and tourists who contribute to waste.
The payment, which will be the responsibility of the Delhi Chief Secretary, is to be made within one month and the amount can be drawn only for waste management, according to the NGT order. (Express Photo)
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Delhi govt to pay Rs 3,132 cr for improper waste management
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 3,132 crore on the Delhi government for gaps in management of solid and liquid waste.
The payment, which will be the responsibility of the Delhi Chief Secretary, is to be made within one month and the amount can be drawn only for waste management, according to the NGT order.
Last October, the NGT had imposed a compensation amount of Rs 900 crore for failure to scientifically handle solid waste and the Delhi government had filed a review application seeking reconsideration of this order. The review application has been dismissed.
In the latest order, the NGT’s Principal Bench noted that this amount of Rs 900 crore has not been paid yet and is to now be paid with an additional amount of Rs 2,232 crore. The compensation being levied is at the rate of Rs 2 crore per MLD (million litres per day) of untreated sewage and Rs 300 per tonne of untreated legacy waste. It is at this rate that compensation of Rs 3,132 crore is liable to be levied on Delhi government on “polluter pays principle” and is to be used for “tackling the emergent situation prevailing in Delhi posing danger to the safety of the citizens, apart from continuing damage to the environment which cannot be ignored.”
Much like a case from January in which the NGT constituted a committee headed by the Lieutenant Governor to look into the issue of pollution of the Yamuna, solid waste management in the city will also now be monitored by a committee that will be headed by the L-G. The committee will include the Chief Secretary, DDA Vice-Chairman, MCD Commissioner, officials of the Delhi government and the Union government.
While constituting the committee, the NGT observed that “in the given situation when emergent situation remains untackled after monitoring at the level of Hon’ble Supreme Court for 18 years and at the level of this Tribunal for the last nine years, monitoring should now be at the highest level of Administration in Delhi with inclusion of all other concerned authorities…”
Referring to a Supreme Court order from 2018 on solid waste management, the NGT observed in its order on Friday that “it is seen that the Hon’ble Supreme Court expected the L-G Delhi, being Administrator of Delhi, to take final call on the issue. We have thus to consider this aspect.”
The committee will now deal with all issues related to solid waste management including setting up new waste processing facilities and remediation of legacy waste, and will work with the “goal of substantial reduction of legacy waste and the gap in current processing” by July 1 this year.
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On raising the funds, the order said that, if necessary, the government may lay down mechanisms for raising funds by way of user charges by households or contributions from business sectors, commercial establishments and tourists who contribute to waste.
While data submitted by the Delhi government said that the Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfills will be remediated entirely by May 2024, the NGT has said in its order that this timeline may be shortened.
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