Earlier, a resident had filed a petition in the green tribunal, opposing the station, saying that the site, according to the industrial area layout plan, is close to a reserved park.
In the order, a four-judge bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel also said, “Beyond direct compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and consideration of all available alternatives by the statutory regulators, we are unable to interfere with the site for waste management.”
The court, however, directed the formation of a joint committee of the GMC and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials and the district magistrate (DM) to look into the matter and hold dialogue with the petitioner and other stakeholders.
“This is nothing short of a victory since we planned the Sahibabad waste transfer station following an adverse NGT order over the Indirapuram landfill site last year. We contended in the court that there had to be someplace for scientific disposal of civic waste. The court saw our point and refused to interfere with the site,” said Mithilesh Kumar, municipal health officer, GMC.
“Some are claiming that the site-8,000 sqm in Sahibabad-is for a park, but the fact is that it is government land and encroached for years. Last year, the then municipal commissioner removed the encroachments to set up the waste transfer station, which can treat 150-200 tonnes of waste daily. The court did not find any proof of claims of earmarking this parcel of land for a park,” added Kumar.
The estimated cost of the waste transfer station is Rs 5 crore, and the work on the plant is over 90% complete. “The area will also have a water tank of 40,000 kilolitre storage capacity serving as a reservoir for a tertiary water treatment plant and providing water to nearly 1,400 industries,” said Kumar.
The petitioner, Hazi Aarif, contended the area where the landfill site is coming up is highly populated. “The site is close to a reserved park, according to the layout plan of industrial area site-4 and near the Hindon airport. There is a school with 400 students in its vicinity, apart from the 25,000 residents living near it,” said Aarif.
“The court has refused to interfere with the site for waste management, but it has ordered the formation of a high-level joint committee tasked with holding discussions with stakeholders. We will raise our issues there and still have other legal options left,” added Aarif.