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| PCC finally acts over illegal garbage dumping | | To inspect site created by MC Sopore | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, May 18: Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (PCC) earlier known as State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has finally acted over the dumping of municipal solid waste at Darnambal Sopore near Tarzoo as local villagers and activists have been alleging the site was a forest land and a wetland area which was violating all the environmental laws including MSW Rules 2016 and Wetland Conservation & Management Rules 2017.
Member Secretary, PCC has issued a direction to its Regional Director Kashmir asking him to constitute a team of officers to visit the site along with District Incharge of PCC Baramulla. Pertinently a written complaint had been received by Member Secretary through the gram sabha of four village panchayats in Tarzoo Darnambal area in Sopore which appealed the Pollution Control Committee J&K (PCC) to stop the illegal waste dumping by Municipal Council Sopore. In addition to it Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement had also been constantly pursuing the Pollution Control Committee and National Green Tribunal (NGT)to stop the illegal practice of MC Sopore as the land was forcibly taken from local panchayat and large chunk of forest land was identified for setting up of new site.
It is important to mention that MC Sopore has last year created a waste disposal site at Ninglee which was shut down after the then Chief Justice visited the site herself in October as locals filed a PIL in J&K High Court. Locals allege that after her retirement the officers from district administration and MC Sopore started dumping municipal waste which includes biomedical waste at Darnambal locality which is again violating MSW Rules , Biodiversity rules , Wetland conservation and management rules 2017.
Chairman RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat has appreciated the action taken by the Pollution Control Committee. “I appreciate the action taken by the J & K Pollution Control Committee (PCC). I express my gratitude to the Chairman and Member Secretary of J&K PCC for their timely action. We hope the environmental compensation of Rs 1.30 crore which was already imposed on MC Sopore will also be recovered from them soon," he said.
On April 10th, the Gram Sabha of four village panchayats in Tarzoo Sopore passed a resolution asking the Municipal Council Sopore to stop illegal garbage dumping in Darnambal. The resolution had no takers, the locals said.
“On one hand the Govt says they respect the decisions taken by gram sabhas and panchayat institutions but in our case it seems our resolution has also been dumped with the municipal waste. By the new order from JK PCC we are hopeful that people of Tarzoo and adjoining villages will get justice said Ajaz Ahmad Dar, a local social activist and Patron Central Auqaf Committee Tarzoo.
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