CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Puri municipality to file an affidavit on steps taken for compliance of recommendations of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in view of contamination of ground water due to the dumped wastes in Baliapanda area of Puri town within four weeks.
The NGT’s East Zone Bench was hearing a petition on waste lying dumped at the site located within 100 metre of the sea beach for over three decades. Puri municipality had filed an affidavit but the tribunal found that the recommendations of the CGWB had not been addressed.
Accordingly, the bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) on Monday said, “We, therefore, direct Puri municipality to file a fresh affidavit within four weeks showing compliance in terms of the recommendations of Central Ground Water Board and also showing what action has been taken by tehsildar, Puri, for relocation of persons residing in the vicinity of the dump site whose lives may be seriously jeopardised by percolation of contaminants into the ground water.”
Chinmaya Das, a resident of Puri had filed the application alleging that waste is being burnt, thereby completely polluting the nearby areas of Balisahi, Gourbat Sahi and Swargadwar, Advocate Afraaz Suhail appeared on behalf of the petitioner. The bench fixed May 10 as next date for further consideration of the matter.
The CGWB report had observed that ground water in the area had been contaminated due to leakage of contaminants from the dump site. CGWB had recommended isolation of the dumping site from the aquifer by constructing impermeable layers under and around it to prevent contamination of groundwater.
Puri municipality had stated in the affidavit that 3,000 houses are located in the vicinity of the dumping yard in question. The house owners had encroached upon government land. A total of 1,619 households were identified when the colonies were surveyed in 2021 under Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2017. The number of households had thereafter increased in the last three years.