The Supreme Court recently flagged concerns inter-alia about non-compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and observed that 3000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste is not being processed in Delhi on a daily basis.
The bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan was considering a report lodged by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) with respect to the national capital and other adjoining areas, in pursuance of its earlier directions. Relying on the report primarily, an order was passed dealing with the following aspects.
Taking into consideration what was stipulated in the CAQM report, the Court expressed shock and dismay at how Solid Waste is being managed in the national capital despite the 2016 Rules having remained in force for the last 8 years.
The court remarked that though the average daily generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Delhi is around 11,000 tonnes, the capacity of the present waste processing plants is only to the extent of about 8,000 tonnes per day. Hence, in the capital city, every day, 3,000 tonnes of MSW is generated which cannot be processed, adding to the pollution.
The court issued notices to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation and Cantonment Board, Delhi to deal with the non-compliance. Senior Advocate Wasim A Qadri, who appeared for Municipal Corporation of Delhi was asked to take instructions on the aspect from the Department.
Furthermore, the Court also directed the Centre through its Urban Development Department and the Delhi government to call a meeting of all authorities charged with implementation of the 2016 Rules. A concrete action plan has been asked to be devised and placed before the court. Additionally, the CAQM has been asked to file a comprehensive report regarding non-compliance of 2016 Rules in Delhi. The matter is scheduled to be heard on May 13.