NGT Seeks New Report on Legacy Waste Remediation in Haryana

The National Green Tribunal has sought a fresh report within eight weeks from the Municipal Commissioner of Panchkula, with approval from the Chief Secretary of Haryana, in the case concerning the remediation of legacy waste at two dumping sites within the district.
The NGT addressed a petition regarding the “unscientific dumping of waste” at two sites near the Khol-Hai-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary in Panchkula district. Previously, the tribunal had called for an action-taken report, which needed to include the implementation of remediation measures for the existing legacy waste, approved by the chief secretary.
A bench of NGT, led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, pointed out that the report dated October 18 from the Panchkula Municipal Commissioner did not confirm whether it had received approval. It only indicated that there was no “significant progress” in addressing the situation. The bench also noted that the report was “vague” and lacked specific measures or an actionable plan with defined timelines.
The bench in the recent order highlighted that there were 90,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste in Jhuriwala village and 3 lakh metric tonnes in Sector 23, Panchkula, which remained unremediated. In light of this, the NGT sought a fresh report with specific details.
The new report must include information such as the solid waste analysis, waste generation, collection, and processing data in Panchkula, Haryana. Additionally, it should cover the quantity of legacy waste in Sector 23, Panchkula, and Jhuriwala village, along with the progress in remediating this waste over the last month. The report should also outline the planned steps for remediating all legacy waste in these areas.
Furthermore, the report should provide details regarding the designated land for the solid waste management system, the timelines for establishing a waste processing plant, the disposal methods for various types of waste, and the quantity of waste being transported to the waste processing plant in Ambala.
The NGT specified that the Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, should submit the report after receiving approval from the Chief Secretary of the State within eight weeks. Meanwhile, the NGT expects the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, to take effective actions to address the situation. The matter is scheduled for further proceedings on January 9.