Stop illegal waste dumping or ban constructions: HC tells Maha

The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra government to either take measures to put an end to illegal dumping of garbage in the waste disposal grounds in Mumbai or stop new constructions.
A bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka suggested that the state government can either provide alternative lands for dumping or allow the civic body to increase the capacity of the existing dumping grounds.
"Either you (Government) take steps to stop illegal dumping of garbage or put a stop on the new constructions," the bench told the state.
"Mumbai is the financial capital of the country and the garbage is increasing day by day....We have to find out ways to manage this," the judges observed.

The bench asked the Chief Secretary of the state to file an affidavit by October 23 mentioning government's stand on the issue - whether it would take measures to stop illegal dumping of garbage or whether it would ban new constructions in and around the city.
Last year, the high court had passed an order asking all municipal bodies in the state to dump garbage according to the solid waste management rules. The court had also warned that if garbage dumping continued illegally in contravention of rules, such grounds will have to close down in 3 months.

However, the HC had extended time till November 2015 for the Mumbai civic body to stop illegal dumping of garbage. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) filed an application seeking more time.

Hearing the application today, the bench said that dumping garbage in the disposal grounds was a serious matter and expressed its reservation for extending time to the civic body on the ground that it would pose a health hazard to people.
The HC further asked the state government and BMC to draw out a time-frame to follow solid waste management rules while dumping garbage in the city's grounds.
Referring to BMC's affidavit, the judges said, this does not appear possible in the next two to three years.
The bench, therefore, asked the state government to take a call on the issue and consider issuing directions to BMC to ban new constructions till proper arrangements are made about garbage processing plants.