Hamirpur/Shimla, Oct 29 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Hamirpur Municipal Corporation in Himachal Pradesh to clear the entire 10,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste at the Dughneri
site by February 10, 2026.
The order came as a two-member bench of the NGT disposed of a plea in the Rita Sharma and Others versus the State of Himachal Pradesh case.
A bench of NGT comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert member A Senthil Vel said HMC Commissioner Abhishek Garg had submitted a formal undertaking that he would ensure the entire waste is cleared.
It also directed the state pollution control board to inspect the site immediately after the February 10 deadline.
The last hearing in the case was held on October 17, and a copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.
The tribunal observed that despite previous directions, only a small portion of waste had been remediated.
It said that the civic body earlier filed an affidavit detailing an execution plan, which involved processing of about 17 metric tonnes of waste every day through composting, bio-methanation, piggeries, and dry waste separation, and ensuring that no new legacy waste is created.
The HMC proposed the use of two separator machines to process legacy waste at a combined capacity of 200-250 metric tonnes per day, and sending recyclable materials to authorised recyclers.
The RDF (for Refuse-Derived Fuel) fractions would be sent to paper mills, and inert would be used for landfill cover, it said.
The authority said it would set up new compost pits, overhead sheds, and leachate management systems, and augment the power supply.
The order said that an undertaking dated August 12 was filed by Garg, who said he would ensure there is separate allocation for fresh and legacy waste, that no pile-up occurs except under extreme weather, and that the entire 10,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste is cleared by February 10. PTI COR BPL VN
VN
