3K tonne daily untreated waste: SC pulls up official

NEW DELHI: Saying the daily generation of 3,000 tonne of untreated solid waste was a “disastrous situation” and a “shocking state of affairs” in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Delhi chief secretary and sought government’s explanation.

A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih pulled up the Delhi chief secretary over the compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

“The manner in which the chief secretary has dealt with the issue is surprising. He does not care about orders of this court. Does not bother to file compliance affidavit. Who says we are on same page. If there is a gap of 3,000 metric tonnes untreated solid waste daily, is it not necessary for Delhi government and municipal corporation to come together and put brakes on certain part of development activities? The explanation must come from the Delhi government. Fact of the matter is there is no compliance of 2016 rules. Have you complied with the timelines?” asked the bench.

The court directed the chief secretary to apprise “without any cover up” if the timelines for the implementation of various activities were complied with. The bureaucrat was ordered to file a better affidavit by January 27, 2025, on the compliance of solid waste management rules.

The court, with “some degree of sadness”, also recorded the generation of 3,000 tonne of untreated solid waste had resulted in

illegal dumping.

“Perhaps some day this court will have to take a call of stopping some kind of developmental activities in the city so that generation of solid waste can be controlled,” it said.

The Supreme Court criticised the Delhi government for failing to implement innovative measures to address municipal solid waste generation. It expressed concern over 3,800 tonnes of untreated waste at Ghazipur and Bhalswa and ordered steps to tackle illegal dumping and fires. The court directed the government to file an affidavit by January 15, 2025, outlining measures. It also called for a meeting of all stakeholders to discuss compliance with the 2016

Solid Waste Rules.