NGT unhappy with anti-dengue measures, appoints commissioners

Vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya have started spreading in the city and the steps taken by the authorities to contain the menace are a mere "formality", the National Green Tribunal today said.
Unhappy with the situation, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar appointed 10 local commissioners to inspect different places in the city under each municipal corporation and report it about the problem persisting on the ground.
"We appoint local commissioners to inspect areas under the jurisdiction of all the municipal corporations and the Delhi Cantonment Board. They shall submit a complete and comprehensive report to show places of waterlogging and dumping of municipal solid waste," the bench said.

The tribunal also asked them to submit report on mechanism adopted for dumping of municipal solid waste in unauthorised colonies and inform it whether sites for fumigation have been identified or not.
The NGT said that each local commissioner would be accompanied by an officer of the municipal corporation concerned and directed the police to provide security to them.
It also fixed a renumeration of Rs 15,000 which would be paid to the local commissioners by the municipal corporation and Delhi Cantonment Board.

The apex environment watchdog also refused to agree with the submissions made by various civic bodies that dengue patients were mainly outsiders and sufficient precautions have been taken to handle the situation.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who appeared for the petitioner Mahendra Pandey in the case, strongly opposed the submission and said that all the authorities have completely failed to discharge their duties.
The NGT directed the Delhi Cantonment Board to sort out the waste at the source itself and transport it to the dumping sites at Bawana waste processing plant after segregation.
The tribunal had earlier hit out at Delhi government, civic bodies and other public authorities for making "unbelievable" claims and "vague statements" regarding steps to tackle diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
It had said the right to clean, decent environment and public health was a fundamental right and financial limitations should not come in the way of providing good health and environment to the people.

While issuing a slew of directions, the bench had constituted a Principal Committee headed by the Chief Secretary of Delhi Government and comprising Commissioners of all corporations, Vice Chairman of DDA, Head of the Cantonment Board, New Delhi Municipal Council, Principal Secretary of Health and Director General of Health Services of Delhi Government as members to deal with the menace of these vector-borne diseases.
The bench was hearing a petition by former scientist of Central Pollution Control Board Mahendra Pandey for issuance of directions and setting up of committees to implement precautionary, preventive and curative actions to ensure that the residents of Delhi are not exposed to Dengue, Chikungunya and other allied diseases.

The plea had also sought direction to authorities not to undertake outdoor thermal fogging to control dengue, alleging it was anti-environment and caused air pollution.