News Point: In a classic case of callousness and contradiction on part of Noida Authority, the city civic administration urges the National Green Tribunal to let it dump the garbage closer to human habitation in absence of alternative.
In its reply to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the case filed by journalist Gaurav Chaudhary & others, the Noida Authority urges the NGT to let it allow unauthorized dumping the garbage in sector 138.
After having failed to respond to the earlier summon by the apex environment body, the Noida Authority has now admitted its fault. In a written submission, the Authority admits that the site at Sector 138 is not earmarked as the dumping ground in its Master Plan.
Strangely, the plea of the Authority nevertheless is that they don’t have any alternative site for dumping the garbage. The designated dumping and solid waster treatment site at Astroli is yet not ready.
Furthermore, the Authority seems to have tried to mislead the NGT when it files the reply that the area is not closer to the human habitation. It says the garbage site is 600 meters away (aerial distance) from the human habitation.
A Google Map nevertheless shows that the garbage dumping ground is just 500 meter away from the nearby village. It is also closer to the eight housing societies of Noida Sector137 that is home to no less than around 50,000 people.
The Noida Authority also submits that the quality of ground water has been tested and is found to be meeting the required standards. It fails to mention the details of the findings of the report, if any by a standard agency. The residents of the area are continuously complaining about the heavy metal contents in the water.
The residents of the area maintain that Noida Authority is playing foul with them. If they manage to convince the NGT, the onus of future potential epidemic in the area due to air pollution and water contamination will shift to the NGT. The Authority will escape free maintaining that they dumped the garbage closer to human settlement on the orders of National Green Tribunal.
“It is travesty of justice that a responsible government body like Noida Authority is asking the NGT to reverse its stay order and allow garbage dumping in the residential zone. Who will be responsible for future epidemic? Why did Noida Authority cheat the homebuyers by concealing the fact that tomorrow they would create a dump yard closer to the homes that we bought on the promise of Authority’s Master Planning?” questions HO Katiyar, a resident of Paras Tierea.
The reply by Noida Authority is contradictory when it says, “The site in question is a temporary site and not permanent site and the moment the demarcated permanent site becomes operational there will be no necessity of even storing the garbage at the site in question. It is submitted that the application is misconceived.”
Track2Realty maintains that the response of Noida Authority is misleading and goes against the law of natural justice. The 20,000 odd homebuyers have bought the apartments on the promise of the Master Plan of Noida Authority that does not have any garbage dump yard in the neighborhood with potential health hazards.
Moreover, the plea that the Authority should be temporarily allowed to use the site as the dump yard because they don’t have any alternate plan shows the poor planning and execution of practical problems on part of the Noida Authority.
