JK High Court warns of penalty for delays in solid waste management report

JK High Court warns of penalty for delays in solid waste management report

Ashiq Butt | July 17, 2024 | 12:17 PM IST | Courts & Law, Jammu Kashmir | Follow on Google News

JK High Court warns of penalty for delays in solid waste management report

JK High Court warns of penalty for delays in solid waste management report

SRINAGAR: The High Court has issued a warning of imposing a penalty if the Government fails to submit a status report on the implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) System in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Division Bench, consisting of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice Rajesh Sekhri, expressed dissatisfaction over the repeated delays in filing the report despite multiple opportunities given.

They stated that a penalty of Rs 50,000 will be imposed if the report is not submitted by the next hearing date.The court’s directive came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking various measures for the management of solid waste.

The authorities are required to provide details on the tenders floated for the SWM system across Kashmir, Jammu, and Ladakh.

Additionally, they must outline actions taken in consultation with departments such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Public Health Engineering, and Tourism to address solid waste issues in agricultural and horticultural facilities, tourist resorts, and areas managed by the Irrigation and Flood Control department during seasonal rains.

The departments involved must also submit responses regarding compliance with the SWM Rules of 2016.

Commissioner Secretaries of each department have been directed to implement these rules within specified timelines, with any negligence viewed as a dereliction of duty.

The Housing Department’s Commissioner/Secretary specifically needs to report on actions taken to enforce bans on plastic, polythene, and other non-biodegradable materials, ensuring strict adherence to SWM rules to protect the fragile ecosystems of both Union Territories

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by VoM News staff and is published from syndicated feed)

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