New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Saying the daily generation of 3,000 tonne of untreated solid waste was a "disastrous situation" and a "shocking state of affairs" in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Delhi chief secretary and sought government's explanation.
A bench comprising Justices A S Oka and Augustine George Masih pulled up the Delhi chief secretary over the compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.
"The manner in which the chief secretary has dealt with the issue is surprising. He does not care about orders of this court. Does not bother to file compliance affidavit. Who says we are on same page. If there is a gap of 3,000 metric tonnes untreated solid waste daily, is it not necessary for Delhi government and municipal corporation to come together and put brakes on certain part of development activities? The explanation must come from the Delhi government. Fact of the matter is there is no compliance of 2016 rules. Have you complied with the timelines?" asked the bench.
The court directed the chief secretary to apprise "without any cover up" if the timelines for the implementation of various activities were complied with.
The bureaucrat was ordered to file a better affidavit by January 27, 2025, on the compliance of solid waste management rules.
The court, with "some degree of sadness", also recorded the generation of 3,000 tonne of untreated solid waste had resulted in illegal dumping.
"Perhaps some day this court will have to take a call of stopping some kind of developmental activities in the city so that generation of solid waste can be controlled," it said.
The top court said it expected the Delhi government and all the authorities to come out with innovative measures to bridge the gap on municipal solid waste generation but nothing was done.
The apex court expressed concern over 3,800 tonne of untreated waste being dumped at two sites in Ghazipur and Bhalswa and said the Delhi government had to take steps to tackle illegal dumping and stopping fires there.
The top court directed the Delhi government to file an affidavit by January 15, 2025, listing out measures.
On November 11, the court directed the chief secretary to call a meeting of all the stakeholders, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, to discuss the issue of implementation of the 2016 Rules.
"All the stakeholders must come together and file a common report before this Court laying down the timelines for reporting compliance with the provisions of the 2016 Rules," the bench had said.
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