New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today asked civic agencies to expedite the process of handing over two sites, measuring about 200 acres, in the city to municipal bodies so that they can use the same for managing the garbage piling up.
A bench of Justice G S Sistani asked the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to take possession of about 110 acres of land in village Sultanpur Dabas at the earliest and also file a status report informing the court how they propose to utilise the land and a timeframe for the same.
The court also asked the authorities to hold a meeting expeditiously to work out the modalities regarding 100 acres of land in village Mandi, Jaunapur in South Delhi, so that the site can be handed over to the municipal corporation at the earliest.
It asked the municipal bodies and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to file their respective affidavits regarding the progress in handing over of the two sites and listed the matter for further hearing on August 7.
The court passed the order, after it was informed by DDA that these two sites have been identified and the process is underway to hand over possession of the same to the concerned municipal bodies for waste management purposes.
DDA made the submission before the court in pursuance of the court's July 10 order directing that a meeting be held between the authorities regarding a piece of land in North Delhi, which, according to DDA, measured 100 acres while MCD claims it to be around 44 acres.
Meanwhile, East Delhi Municipal Corporation informed the court that it has identified about 75 acres of land near Sonia Vihar area here which can be utilised for waste management. The court has asked the authorities to discuss the availability of the site near Sonia Vihar in a meeting to be held between them and if it can be made available, then the same be done expeditiously.
On July 10, the court had observed that “little headway” has been made by civic bodies in acquiring land for the purpose of managing the garbage piling up in the city. Earlier, a panel appointed by the court for identification of land-fill areas for solid waste management had identified probable sites and LBD had been directed to acquire the plots of land in accordance with law.
The issue of lack of land-fill sites in the national capital was raised before the Supreme Court in 2010 by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi by filing an application on a petition filed by a lady, Almitra Patel, regarding waste management across the country.
MCD had sought allocation of over 400 acres in Bhatti mines area here for use as a land-fill for garbage and to set up a waste processing facility but the apex court felt that being a Delhi-centric issue the High Court here was better equipped to deal with the matter.
Thereafter, the case was sent to the Delhi High Court in 2010 which is, since then, hearing the contentions of the land-owning and municipal bodies as well as an NGO that has opposed allocation of land in Bhatti mines saying the same falls within the Asola-Bhatti wildlife sanctuary.
