Sopore MC trying to mislead NGT, HC on Wullar dumping: Activist

Srinagar, July 17 An RTI activist from Jammu and Kashmir on Friday accused officials of the Sopore Municipal Council of trying to "mislead" the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the High Court on the issue of municipal waste dumped in the Wullar Lake area.

"Municipal institutions are the guard of environment and wetlands, but they themselves are destroying the same. MC Sopore was supposed to enforce the laws governing the environment under the Environmental Protection Act of 1986 and MSW Rules 2016, but this council has turned out to be a lawbreaker as unsegregated waste is being dumped at Ninglee, the catchment area of Wullar lake, for the last five months," Raja Muzaffar Bhat, Chairman of J&K RTI Movement, told .

"When the High Court Chief Justice, while hearing a case, said she would personally inspect the area, which was covered by the local newspapers as well, the authorities in order to hide their misdeeds are further committing a crime by filling the site with earth and also burning the trash as well," the activist claimed.

"We have videotaped everything and will produce the recordings in NGT and High Court soon," he said.

Bhat pointed out that the NGT had taken cognisance of his complaint regarding the dumping of huge amounts of waste into the lake.

In another case, High Court Chief Justice Gita Mittal too had decided to visit the lake after hearing a PIL regarding the "deteriorating" condition of Asia's largest fresh water lake.

"As the NGT and Jammu and Kashmir High Court have taken cognisance of the illegal dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) by the Sopore civic body at Ninglee Tarzoo area near the Wullar wetland, the municipal authorities hired more than 150 labourers on Friday along with a JCB to fill the entire garbage dumping site with soil.

"This is being done to mislead the NGT and High Court as they have sought a detailed report from the government about this illegal garbage dumping."

Bhat is a petitioner before the NGT in the Wullar wetland garbage dumping case. On July 8, a complaint filed by Bhat was listed before a 4-member bench of the NGT headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.

In his order, Justice Goel sought a report from the Baramulla Deputy Commissioner, Director Pollution Control Board and Member-Secretary of the JK Wetlands Authority.

Residents of Ninglee Tarzoo have also filed a PIL in the High Court, which was heard by the HC Chief Justice a few days back whereafter she said that she would inspect the area.

( With inputs from IANS )