Chief Administrator asked to appear in court over garbage dumping site

Peeved over the inordinate delay being caused in settling the dispute over land to be provided for a garbage dumping site, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the Chief Administrator, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), to remain present in the court on the next date of hearing.

The court was informed on the last date of hearing that two senior officers - one with HUDA and the other with the Panchkula MC - are in the dock. The Haryana Pollution Control Board had decided to file a prosecution suit against a HUDA executive officer and a Panchkula MC engineer before the Special Environment Court, Kurukshetra.

The duo have been charged with "illegal unscientific disposal of municipal solid waste in Panchkula". This was told to the High Court during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Resident Welfare Society of Sector 23, Panchkula. The duo faces prosecution on account of violation of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules.

The petitioner society had moved the High Court seeking a shift of site for municipal solid waste from Sector 23, citing health hazards and odour.

The PCB had submitted that neither HUDA nor the MC had taken appropriate measures to handle the issue and, therefore, notices had been issued and the authorities of the two department had been given a personal hearing. The PCB authorities had informed the Bench that directions had been issued to the HUDA and MC authorities that a temporary site in Sector 23 would be properly covered with the layers of earth and bacterial solutions while micro-nutrients would be sprayed daily to minimise the odor problem. The Board officials, in an affidavit, had stated that HUDA had plans to set up a garbage disposal plant in village Jhuriwala.

ALSO READ

Life of Pi singer Bombay Jayashri to perform in Chandigarh

Theories of Sino-India war far-fetched, says ex-Army chief

HC rejects Punjab plea on Bhattal’s govt house

Civic body moots Rs 616-cr budget, discussion today