Garbage mess: NGT slams EDMC for 'apathy'

The National Green Tribunal today took the East Delhi Municipal Corporation to task for non- disposal of garbage due to staff agitation, asking why it had failed to protect the funds allotted for paying their salaries and making people suffer due to its "ill-planning".
Slamming the EDMC for its "apathy" towards the garbage mess, it directed the civic body to submit details of its total income along with money given by Delhi government to ascertain the reason for delay in payment of salaries to sanitation workers.
The EDMC employees went on strike on January 5 demanding payment of their wages. There has been a continuous tussle between civic bodies and state government over funds, which started after the sanitation workers went on strike early last year over the same issue.

"Why don't you (municipal bodies) apply your mind before doing things? Why didn't you protect the money allotted to you for payment of salary? Why don't you apply your common sense that if you don't pay salaries, your work will get affected?
"Your problem is that your officers complicate things instead of solving them. You can't make people suffer because of your ill-planning," a bench headed by NGT Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
While directing EDMC to submit details of planned and non-planned expenditure, the NGT also asked Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee to apprise it what action they have taken to deal with municipal solid waste in Delhi and whether any action has been taken against the violators.

"As corporation you have done nothing. You have not cleaned Delhi. Sewage is flowing in the drains, there is no waste management plan and rivers are being polluted every day. Why should you have such a large number of employees if they don't work.

"You tell us, out of the total work force, how many are ghost employees? Have you carried out any study for rationalisation of staff? Tell your officers not to waste energy on fictitious documents and work on ground instead," the bench said.
The tribunal directed the municipal corporations to
submit data on total generation of waste in the city and the methodology adopted for collection and disposal of garbage and posted the matter for further hearing on January 17.

It also ordered Delhi government to inform about the steps taken by it with regard to its order banning the use of disposable plastic in Delhi and NCR and measures to reduce dumped waste.
"Needless to notice again that the problem arising from handling of MSW is of serious consequence. Public authorities cannot be permitted to take these matters lightly and such apathy cannot be allowed to continue," the NGT said.
Earlier the NGT had issued notices to Ministry of Urban Development, the AAP government and the union of 'safai karamcharis' on the indefinite strike called by sanitation workers of EDMC due to non-payment of salary.

A section of sanitation workers of EDMC continued their strike for nine days, even as civic officials managed to get 1,135 metric tons of garbage cleared.