New Delhi, Feb 26: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of large-scale unscientific dumping of municipal solid waste by the Municipal Committee (MC) Awantipora, directing the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) to conduct a fresh inspection of the site.
Hearing a petition filed by social activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, the Principal Bench of the NGT, headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava and Expert Member Dr Afroz Alam, expressed serious concern over the continuous violation of environmental norms along the strategically important National Highway-44.
The petitioner, represented by Advocate Saurabh Sharma, apprised the tribunal that MC Awantipora has been operating an illegal dumpsite near Padgampora Dangerpora village, adjacent to the highway and a vital irrigation canal (Padgampora Nehar). It was further submitted that despite a show-cause notice and an inspection report by the JKPCC dated August 14, 2025—which confirmed the site was operating without prior consent—the dumping of unsegregated waste from Awantipora and Tral continued unabated.
“Photographic evidence was placed on record to demonstrate the gross violation of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The JKPCC’s own report had warned of punitive action, yet the municipality failed to comply,” the petitioner’s counsel argued.
In its order, the NGT directed the JKPCC to conduct a fresh site inspection to ascertain the quantity of illegally dumped waste and determine how long it has been accumulating at the site. The tribunal also ordered MC Awantipora to take “all possible remedial measures” to clear the waste immediately.
“A comprehensive report must be filed at least one week before the next hearing. All respondents are directed to file their replies within the stipulated time,” the order reads.
Welcoming the NGT’s intervention, petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat alleged gross mismanagement of public funds, claiming that crores of rupees allocated for establishing a sanitary landfill site were misused.
“The location chosen is near agricultural fields and the national highway. No segregation or treatment is being done. Despite writing to the government and the committee, the illegal dumping continued, forcing us to knock on the doors of the NGT. I am confident that heavy environmental compensation will now be imposed on MC Awantipora,” Dr Bhat said.
The matter has been posted for the next hearing on May 13, 2026 he added. (KNS)
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