Navi Mumbai to get new dump site

Taking a step towards solving one of the most crucial issues facing the city, of dumping waste, the government of Maharashtra on Friday informed the Bombay high court that it has handed over 32.77 hectares of additional land in Navi Mumbai to BMC to develop a dumping site.

The information was provided to the division bench of justice Abhay Oka and justice Abhay Thipsay, which was hearing a bunch of PILs alleging that solid waste management rules are 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.

Government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani informed the Bombay high court that the land is over and above the 52.10 hectares land earmarked at Taloja in Navi Mumbai as a common dumping ground for BMC and some other municipal corporations. According to him the land is already given to the BMC on January 18.

The judges, however, said that the land at Taloja could not be put to use in near future as most of it was encroached upon and about 12 hectares was yet to be acquired. On this advocate Vagyani said that the eligible encroachers would be rehabilitated at a suitable site at the cost of BMC and the civic body’s counsel, senior advocate S.U. Kamdar, assured the court that the civic body would immediately take steps to protect the land from encroachments and develop it into a dumping ground.

The judges also asked if the state would continue to allow rampant development in the city of Mumbai because development will result in concentrating population density and consequently generate more garbage at a time when 6,500 metric tons of garbage was already being dumped illegally.

The bench also directed the state to clear its stand on the point of illegal dumping of municipal solid waste generated in Mumbai.