The National Green Tribunal has taken up the Shillong waste processing issue particularly at the Shillong Landfill Facility (SLF) as raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Dr A. Senthil Vel and Dr Afroz Ahamd in New Delhi has registered an original application suo motu based on a news article published on September 16, 2024.
The article highlights the inefficiencies in waste processing at the SLF, established under the North Eastern Region Capital Cities Development Investment Program.
The SLF was designed to have a lifespan of 15 years, until 2029, but due to inefficient waste processing, its operational lifespan has been significantly reduced. Phase I, completed in May 2017, is already fully utilized and covered with vegetation, while Phase II, completed in February 2021, is filling up rapidly and is expected to last only until 2025.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report reveals that the lack of efficient waste processing has led to premature filling of the landfill, insufficient waste processing facilities, and non-compliance with environmental regulations. This has resulted in improper processing, increased waste backlog, environmental degradation, pollution, and health hazards.
The Tribunal has impleaded the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and District Magistrate, Shillong, as respondents in the matter.
They have been issued notices to file their responses by way of affidavit before the Eastern Zonal Bench of the Tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing.
The matter has been transferred to the Eastern Zonal Bench in Kolkata for further action, with the next hearing scheduled for November 18, 2024.