Biomedical waste: NGT slaps fine of Rs 50k each on Delhi, Uttarakhand

The National Green Tribunal today slapped a cost of Rs 50,000 each on the Delhi and the Uttarakhand governments for not filing a reply to the show cause notice issued regarding the management of biomedical hazardous wastes.
A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim took strong exception after it was informed that despite its August 29, 2017 direction, the states had not filed their replies.
The matter would now be heard on March 19.
The tribunal had asked them to file a detailed reply about which agencies were authorised in terms of the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules to collect, transport, dispose of the hazardous wastes.

"What is the capacity of the plants which have been given due authorisation for that purpose. What happens and how the remnant hazardous waste is being dealt with.
"The members who have been allotted any of the authorised plants and are not sending hazardous waste to those plants. What action the authorities concerned i.e. the state government and the respective states and State Pollution Control Boards have taken so far, against such members," the NGT had asked.
The tribunal had expanded the scope of the petition filed by Ghaziabad resident Rajiv Narayan and also included the issue of biomedical hazardous wastes in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and the NCT of Delhi.

Narayan had alleged that rapid development of industries had resulted in acute air and water pollution which was causing severe health problems for city's dwellers.