The National Green Tribunal has directed a joint committee to look into a complaint on the continuing illegal and unscientific waste dumping near Khol-Hai-Raitan wildlife sanctuary in Panchkula’s Jhuriwala village despite the earlier orders of the tribunal against the environmental violations.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, in a recent order, said it is necessary to ascertain the compliance status from a Joint Committee comprising of the State PCB, Chief Conservator of Forest, and the District Magistrate, Panchkula. The State PCB will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance, the tribunal said asking to submit the report within two months.

The applicant may serve a set of papers on the State Pollution Control Board, Chief Conservator of Forest and the District Magistrate, Panchkula, and file an affidavit of service within one week by email, it directed.

The matter was listed for further consideration on April 22.

According to the applicant, the site in question is 140 meters away from Khol-Hai-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary. On that account, safeguards are necessary to avoid the negative impact of landfills on the groundwater. On November 4, 2015, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife decided for setting up of Solid Waste Management Project at Jhuriwala village.

It said that the landfill site is located away from the current location as it will be a source of diseases for human beings and wildlife.

It was also recommended that the landfill for inert waste will be based on the standard design and to be covered. An adequate water harvesting structure will be created in the sanctuary for providing sustained water and fodder to the wildlife at the cost of the project proponent.

However, as per the plea, steps are not being taken for composting of municipal solid waste, landfill being limited to inert waste, transportation through the pipeline, and treatment in Common Effluent Treatment Plant. The Municipal Corporation, Panchkula has been dumping all kinds of waste at the project site in violation of conditions on the basis of which the NBWL permitted the project.

The applicant has relied upon photographs and the media reports state that the Solid Waste Management Plant site is being used as a dumping ground illegally. The news item mentions that though the Speaker Haryana Assembly, who is the local MLA announced in a public meeting that 600-tonne garbage lying in the Sector 23 dumping ground would be processed and the area would be turned into a park, no such step has been taken.