DEHRADUN: The National Green Tribunal has directed the chief secretary of Uttarakhand to submit a report on photographic evidence presented by petitioners alleging widespread dumping of solid wastes, plastic wastes, bio-medical wastes and hazardous wastes in and across Uttarakhand, especially in higher reaches of the state.
The tribunal will hear the matter with the main petition pertaining to Compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 for the state of Uttarakhand, which will come up for consideration in September.
The order dated August 21, 2019, stated, “Since the subject is already being dealt with in O.A No. 606/2018, Compliance of Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and monitored by the Chief Secretary, let the Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand have the facts verified from the concerned Departments, particularly the Forest and Irrigation Departments with reference to the photographs and furnish a report in the said matter.”
The petition was filed by a non-government organization named ‘Friends’ through Akash Vashishtha, Ghaziabad based lawyer-activist and Ajay Singh Rawat, a Nainital based activist citing “unrestrained and widespread illegal dumping of wastes” including solid wastes, plastics, bio-medical wastes, construction and demolition wastes, hazardous wastes and other such material in and across Uttarakhand especially at higher altitudes and the failure of the state agencies in disposing it effectively.
The petitioners added that the dumping of such hazardous wastes is in violation of the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 to name a few.