New Delhi, Oct 12 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the northeast regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and others in a matter regarding inefficiencies in waste processing causing environmental degradation in Meghalaya's capital Shillong.
The green body was hearing a matter in which it had taken suo motu cognisance of a newspaper report regarding the Comptroller and Auditor General of India faulting the waste processing efficiency in Shillong, particularly at the Shillong Landfill Facility (SLF).
In an order dated October 1, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, "As per the article, the SLF, established under the North Eastern Region Capital Cities Development Investment Program (NERCCDIP), was designed to have a lifespan of 15 years, up to 2029. However, due to inefficient waste processing, the landfill's operational lifespan has been significantly reduced."
"Phase I of the SLF, completed in May 2017, is already fully utilised and covered with vegetation. Phase II, completed in February 2021, is filling up rapidly and is expected to last only until 2025," the tribunal said.
The bench, also comprising judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members Afroz Ahmad and A Senthil Vel, said the report "raised substantial issues" relating to compliance with environmental norms.
It impleaded as parties or respondents the northeast regional office of the MOEFCC, member secretaries of the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board and Central Pollution Control Board and Shillong's district magistrate.
"Issue notice to the above respondents for filing their response/reply by way of affidavit before the Eastern Zonal Bench of the tribunal (in Kolkata) at least one week before the next date of hearing (on November 28)," the tribunal said.