Supreme Court criticises officials for mishandling solid waste

15 May 2024 CW Team

The Supreme Court criticised the authorities for the inadequate management of solid waste in Delhi-NCR and issued a directive for the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary to organise a meeting of the relevant authorities to devise a solution, which would then be presented before the court.

The Bench, led by Justice AS Oka, expressed that if the authorities failed to propose any tangible solutions, they would contemplate issuing severe orders to address the environmental concerns in Delhi and its surrounding areas.

The Bench underscored the significance of the issue, labelling it as "very vital" for Delhi, and urged against politicising it. They scheduled further hearings on July 26.

Highlighting the alarming quantity of untreated solid waste amounting to 3,800 tonnes daily in Delhi and adjacent regions, the Bench characterised the situation as "horrifying" and stressed its direct infringement on the citizens' fundamental rights under Article 21, pertaining to a pollution-free environment.

Regarding the daily solid waste generation in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Greater Noida, and their treatment capacities, the Bench observed that with the ongoing development in Delhi and its surrounding areas, the waste generation was bound to escalate. It noted the existence of vast landfill sites for untreated solid waste at Bhalswa, Okhla, and Ghazipur in Delhi.

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