NGT rebukes GDA over dumping of waste in Hindon

National Green Tribunal today took Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to task over indiscriminate dumping of municipal solid waste and garbage on the banks of river Hindon and said the civic body should think about the people's problems before committing such acts.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, which stopped short of issuing bailable warrants against the officers, rapped the civic bodies for failing to discharge their "statutory duty".
The green panel directed GDA vice-chairman, commissioner of municipal corporation and District Magistrate of Ghaziabad to appear before it tomorrow.
"You just close your eyes and think about the suffering of the common people. You are dumping waste into a water body.

"By no stretch of imagination, there can be justification of any public authority of the State to permit environmental degradation and water pollution by dumping municipal solid waste directly or permitting other person to throw such waste at such ecologically sensitive place," the bench said.
The tribunal's observation came while hearing a plea filed by Krishan Pal against reckless dumping of municipal solid waste near river Hindon in Ghaziabad.

Earlier, NGT had come down heavily on public authorities and said it was the "duty of the State" to ensure that municipal solid waste is properly collected, segregated, transported and taken to the dumping sites.

It had directed the Nagar Nigam to place appropriate size dustbins for encouraging the people to dump the wastes only in the bins which shall be transported to a duly identified site.
"Any person or officer violating this condition shall be liable to pay instantaneously Rs 20,000 as environmental compensation and we permit all these authorities along with police authorities to impose this environmental compensation and recover the same," the bench had said.