Waste management in Punjab: NGT directs Chief Secretary to file six-monthly progress reports

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has directed Punjab’s chief secretary to regularly file six-monthly reports about verifiable progress made in managing solid and liquid waste in the state.

Noting the gaps in waste management, the NGT had earlier imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 2,080 crore on the state for its failure to treat and remediate solid and liquid waste.

In the order passed in September last year, the tribunal had directed the authorities concerned to deposit the amount in a separate ring-fenced account, which was to be used for restoration measures. It had also asked them to submit half-yearly reports.

A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said pursuant to the tribunal’s order two progress reports dated May 15 and October 20 this year were submitted but the six-monthly report was not filed.

The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel said the second report was not satisfactory as 31.46 metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste was not remediated and there was no treatment capacity for 326.58 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage.

"Thus, it would be necessary to call for information on solid and sewage management in respect of generation and treatment with respect to each city and town with a time-bound action plan to ensure complete processing of solid and sewage management," the bench said in a recent order.

It also noted that the chief secretary had constituted a committee to bridge the gaps in sewage and solid waste management in November last year.

This, however, did not absolve the chief secretary of his responsibility to comply with the tribunal’s order for filing the six-monthly progress reports, the tribunal said.

"Hence, further six-monthly progress reports with verifiable progress be filed by the Chief Secretary," it added.

The matter has been listed on May 30 for further proceedings.