The Bombay high court on Wednesday sought to know from the civic body of Mumbai what steps it had taken to secure dumping grounds to prevent incidents such as the fire in Deonar.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday sought to know from the civic body of Mumbai what steps it had taken to secure dumping grounds to prevent incidents such as the fire in Deonar.
The division bench of Justice A.S. Oka and Justice C.B. Bhadang directed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file an affidavit within a week stating what steps had been taken to secure dumping grounds while hearing a bunch of PILs alleging that solid waste management rules were not followed at the dumping grounds, leading to pollution. Some PILs filed by local residents want dumping grounds to be shifted because of the foul smell emanating from these sites.
The state government on Wednesday informed the court that it has already handed over possession of 29 acres of land in Airoli and also reiterated that another piece of 52-acre land has also been handed over to the civic body at Taloja in Navi Mumbai to be used as dumping grounds. The bench asked the civic body to file an affidavit in a week on whether it has fenced the dumping ground, whether it has constructed a wall restricting entry of miscreants inside, if CCTVs are functional and if security guards are present round-the-clock.
The court also asked the municipal corporation when it would stop dumping wastes at the Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds as they have reached their saturation point. On this the BMC said it was constructing a waste disposal plant at Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds for better disposal.
Parts of Mumbai have been engulfed in a thick blanket of smog since last week owing to the fire at the Deonar dumping ground and other reasons, including a drop in temperature and vehicular pollution.
Owing to heavy smoke in and around Deonar, the BMC on Friday had to shut down 74 schools run by it. The huge heap of garbage at the 132-acre waste site in Deonar reportedly stands 20 metres tall as high as an 18-storey tower.
