Address issue of solid waste management in Delhi on war footing: HC to authorities

Observing that its orders to clean up the national capital were "not getting the attention it deserves", the Delhi High Court today passed a slew of directions to the Centre, the AAP government and the three municipal corporations to ensure that the issue of solid waste management is addressed on a "war footing".

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said it does not want to keep watching videos, filed by a court-appointed local commissioner, on the lack of garbage disposal and waste management in Delhi and directed the Centre to place on record any proposal it may have to clean up the city as well as solid waste management.

The Centre was also asked to look into the issue raised by the Delhi government that municipal bodies of each state receive funds amounting to Rs 488 for each person in their jurisdiction every year from the central government while the national capital has been getting only Rs 325 crore since 1991.

"Delhi needs help. Is the national capital not your (Centre) responsibility? Why is Delhi not entitled to the amount of Rs 488 per head like the other states are getting," the court asked.

Taking note of one dengue death and several other cases of vector borne diseases in the national capital, the court said if this is what Delhi looks like now what will the authorities "achieve" next year.

"We need some action plan. The corporations are in a hopeless position. There is complete unwillingness to do anything. They have no staff, no money and no land," the court said.

It issued directions to the corporations to start enforcing its rules which provide for enhanced fines for littering, saying that is also a good source of revenue for the civic bodies.

The court said Singapore was clean as there is stringent punishment for littering and asked the civic bodies to pick any one colony as a pilot project and ensure total cleanliness by carrying out periodic inspections and levying challans so that people change their habits.

"Only thing people understand is punishments. You have to enforce your penal provisions. Identify a colony and get the residents into the habit of not littering and then carry out random inspections and challaning," the bench said.

It further suggested having big billboards and hoardings everywhere, including market areas, displaying the fines for littering, as well as sanitary inspectors remaining on the ground in eight hour shifts to penalise those found throwing garbage on the streets and sidewalks.

"We are not prepared to sit month after month and watch garbage," the court said and directed the corporations to file a action taken report, in connection with the directions, by the next date of hearing on May 22.

While issuing the direction the court said that rains were around the corner and if cleanliness was not ensured then diseases like cholera and gastroenteritis would spread in the city.

The bench asked the Delhi government also to come with any ideas or plans to clean up the city instead of fighting with the corporations over funds.

The court on the last date had warned the authorities of stringent penal action if anyone dies or gets infected by vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. It said if immediate action is not taken by the Centre, the Delhi government or the civic bodies, it will be forced to take strict action against all of them.

The court was hearing two PILs filed by advocates Arpit Bhargava and Gauri Grover seeking directions to the authorities to take steps to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases in the national capital.