NGT told Delhi Govt and civic authorities to deposit Rs 250 crore

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), on July 17, directed the Delhi government and civic bodies to deposit an amount of Rs 250 crore to an escrow account for a bioremediation and biomining project which is to be undertaken to deal with Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla landfill sites.

The bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Chairperson of NGT, mentioned that the Delhi government is liable to pay only Rs 125 crore for the project and rest of the amount will be collected from the civic bodies including the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) both of who will pay Rs 20 crore each.

The bench said that if the civic bodies fail to deposit the required amount no official in the corporation will get their salaries. “At Bhalswa, Ghazipur and Okhla, leachate is contaminating the groundwater which is turning yellow and orange. The leachate is also reaching the Yamuna. There are traces of heavy metals in the groundwater and other parameters are several times beyond the permissible range”, the bench added.

The green panel directed the authorities to start the work from October 1, and said, “We are giving you a scientific solution. All this indecisiveness and putting blame on one another needs to stop. This [bioremediation] is already being followed in Ahmedabad. We will follow it for the entire country. It is a scientific model and cost effective. All that you have to do is temporarily hire machines and labour. No tender is needed either.”

“Have you studied the Indore model? Why can’t that model be copied? It will create havoc somewhere else if you cap it. In the short-term it is okay, but long-term there will be plenty of problems, both in terms of human health and environment in unquantifiable terms,” the Bench said.

The NGT also referred to its recently passed order on Pirana landfill site in Ahmedabad, suggesting that once the land is reclaimed, a biodiversity park or a waste processing plant can be set up.