NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday came down heavily on the municipal corporations and the Delhi government over "incorrect" data pertaining to solid waste management. NGT also wanted to know which agency was involved in waste segregation and how much of garbage was segregated in the city.
The tribunal was hearing a petition by SukhdevVihar residents against the Okhla waste-to-energy plant, which is allegedly incinerating unsegregated waste causing toxic emissions.
Pooja Kalra, the lawyer representing the corporations, submitted to NGT that Delhi generated about 9,600 MT of waste, of which only 4,700 MT was treated or processed in waste-to-energy plants and the rest was dumped in the three landfills. But the NGT bench headed by its chairperson Swatanter Kumar asked how the civic bodies arrived at these figures.
Representatives of the Okhla waste-to-energy plant submitted that they were receiving construction and demolition waste, along with solid waste, which was affecting the efficiency of boilers and furnaces.
However, when the bench enquired about the mechanism to segregate construction debris from solid waste, it failed to come up with a convincing reply. The court then asked, "What is the use of submitting incorrect and false data. You never realise your duty and that is why no problem is solved in the courts. Instead of giving clear figures, you always try to mislead the tribunal. How did you come to the figure you have submitted to us. We are not interested in your impressive reports."
The corporations' lawyer said the waste going to the Okhla plant wasn't segregated and wondered why the plant proponents weren't segregating waste before incinerating it.
Meanwhile, the residents of SukhdevVihar demanded that a fresh environment impact assessment be conducted and the plant obtain environmental clearance before continuing its operations.
K KRohtagi, the counsel of the residents, said: "They (the plant) got the environment clearance on the basis of different information. Earlier it was said that the plant would be located on a landfill. But they built it inside a residential area."
The residents' are seeking a closure of the waste-to-energy plant, alleging that it uses illegal mass burning technology, causing air pollution. In its application, the residents' association had told NGT that according to observations of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, mass burning technology should be stopped immediately.
NGT will hear the matter again on Wednesday.
