NGT: Fix deadline to end waste disposal at Vellalore dump yard

Coimbatore: The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the city corporation to come up with a deadline to stop waste disposal at Vellalore dump yard.
In April this year, the NGT had initiated a suo motu case based on a news article about a fire at the dump yard. A hearing in the case was held on August 14 by a bench comprising judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati.
During the hearing, counsel for the corporation had stated that waste disposal at the dump yard had significantly reduced from 81% to 18% and expressed optimism that waste dumping at the yard would soon be brought down to zero.
In its order, the NGT criticized the corporation for failing to adhere to an earlier directive that required the completion of legacy waste management at the dump yard within 12 months. The NGT noted that there has been minimal progress in handling legacy waste and no report has been submitted detailing a plan of action or a timeframe for its completion.
The tribunal then directed the corporation to provide a detailed report outlining the areas allocated for bio-mining centres in the city, areas in the dump yard where waste disposal is still going on and a deadline to stop waste disposal at the dump yard.
The NGT has mandated the civic body to submit a detailed report at the next hearing on September 3. It also has directed the principal secretary to the municipal administration and water supply department to convene a meeting with the corporation commissioner to devise a workable solution.