Fire at landfill site: Panel begins probe

The committee,headed by Principal Secretary (Power) Deepak Sanan,will look into the causes of the fire and the lapses by the Shimla Municipal Corporation that enveloped Shimla by a thick blanket of harmful smoke for at least four days.

Sanan told The Indian Express: “The official communication of the court’s order was delivered to me today.”

He added that the committee was thinking of issuing a public notice asking people to come forward and share information about the causes of fire.

Besides appointing the committee to look into the causes of fire and fix criminal responsibility on the guilty,five more points of investigation were also listed by the court. These included functioning of the bio-conversion plan,eligibility and competence of the private firm that has been contracted the work for running the plant and the persons responsible for delay in shifting the solid waste plant outside the town even as its proposal was mooted long ago. The plant and landfill site are located on Shimla Bypass Road and the fire had broken out on December 20.

Meanwhile,work for shifting the solid waste management plant out of the town on Taradevi Bye Pass Road has begun and the corporation has initiated work of clearing trees on the site measuring 30 bighas,for which approval under the Forest Conservation Act had been taken and Rs 18 lakh deposited as compensation in lieu of trees. The HC has asked the corporation to shift the plant to the new site within four weeks.

Commissioner Shimla Municipal Corporation AN Sharma said,“We have identified the new site to be used for scientifically managed landfill near the proposed new waste management plant.”