“It is most unfair that one party is shifting the blame to the other and the public is suffering”, National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar lashed out at the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and National Capital Territory of Delhi’s counsels today. 

The tribunal was hearing the matter of Almitra H Patel Vs the Union of India. The case is about solid waste management. The bench decided to include the ongoing MCD strike in the matter. In 2015, after the Supreme Court had transferred the case to the NGT, it had stated that “All the states should positively file their status report with regard to the collection, storage and disposal of Municipal Solid Waste in the entire state” failing which it had threatened each state with a Rs 50,000 fine.

The chairperson asked the EDMC council Balendu Shekhar whether the corporation had ever considered planning to improve the municipal waste management system currently in place.

While Shekhar sought time to answer the question, NCT Delhi advocate Tarunvir Singh Khehar alleged that EDMC had given Rs 1800 crore to the Delhi Development Authority. “How can we give that much money, we generate only around 600 crore” was Shekhar’s quick rebuttal. 

The bench observed that while EDMC generates Rs 600 crore, Rs 605 crore was given to it by the Delhi government.  Kumar wanted to know what had become of that amount.

The bench was told that the EDMC’s monthly salary expense was around 134 crore.

“Salary account of any government employee cannot be touched. The first charge on your account should be towards paying the salaries of employees. What have you done with it?” Kumar asked. 

The bench will hear the matter tomorrow and posed questions to each of the following departments and ministries to be corroborated by documents and signed by concerned officials:

EDMC

– How many trucks have you employed during the strike?

– What is the quantum of waste generated in the area?

– Why is there no GPS in the trucks? How will you know if the trucks are making the trip?

– What is the rational behind employing 15,000 employees?

-Have you carried out a study to collect waste more economically?

– Have you thought of ways to mechanise the process of waste disposal and collection? 

– Why is there a difference between the figures released by NCT and EDMC.

– Provide us with a list of how these funds are utilised

-How much have you loaned other bodies ?

– Is cleaning an essential service or not?

NCT Delhi

-If you know there are 15,000 employees, why don’t you pay salaries every month?

-What has the NCT Delhi done to deal with the waste problem ? Do [they] have a plan?

-Why have you failed as a government to reduce and control municipal waste? 

Ministry of urban development:

-MCD comes under you. Do you have any duty towards the people or not?

DDA

-Was any loan taken from EDMC?

Central Pollution Control Board:

-What directions have [they] given to corporations for effective would waste management?

In the original matter of Almitra H Patel on solid waste management, the bench also sent a show cause notice to all the states, union territories and ministries asking why the tribunal should not halt any development activity if there was no waste disposal mechanism in place for the project within five kilometers or if there are no sewage treatment plants or if the effluent is dumped into drains.