After months of bureaucratic back-and-forth between the BMC and Aarey Milk Colony over clearing debris dumped along Mithi River's banks in Aarey, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has intervened. The NGT has ordered for the formation of a committee, led by Maharashtra's chief secretary, to determine responsibility, relocation of debris, and funding. With BMC, MPCB, Aarey Milk Colony, and environmental experts onboard, the committee has a month to devise an action plan as monsoon approaches. The directive stems from Vanashakti's petition, highlighting environmental hazards. Urgent action is imperative before monsoon exacerbates the damage, underscoring the committee's crucial role in prioritizing ecological preservation.
After months of the BMC and Aarey Milk Colony passing the responsibility for clearing the debris dumped in Aarey along the banks of the Mithi River onto each other, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the constitution of a committee to decide who will shoulder the burden. The panel will decide where the debris dumped from the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) near the Tapeshwar Mandir is to be shifted, who will bear the expenses, and how it will be carried out.
The committee will be headed by the chief secretary of Maharashtra, and include the BMC, MPCB. Urban Development Department. Aarey Milk Colony, the Environment Department, a scientist from NEERI and a professor from IIT Bombay. It has been given one month's time to prepare a time bound action plan as monsoon nears.
A previous order dated July 7. 2023, had directed the BMC to clear a large construction waste dumpsite near the Mithi River in Mumbai's Aarey Colony within two weeks. The dumpsite comprises around four lakh metric tonnes of waste piled up to a height of 25 metres. Spanning 850 metres long and 80 metres wide, the dump is currently leaching pollutants into the river due to heavy rains, according to environmental group Vanashakti.
The tribunal's order came in response to a petition filed by Vanashakti, which had been highlighting the issue for months. An inquiry by an NGT-appointed committee - comprising one member each from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Collector, Mumbai Suburban - found Vanashakti's allegations to be true. It was tasked with quantifying the environmental damage and assessing compensation.
However, the BMC filed an interlocutory application (IA) alleging that the Aarey Milk Colony administration has the responsibility to clean up the debris. The BMC claimed that as Aarey is owned by the Aarey Milk Colony, it neither gives permission to dump debris within it, nor does it have the responsibility to clear it off. In response, the Aarey Milk Colony claimed not to have received the BMC's IA and was given two weeks to file a reply.
Vanashakti director Stalin D noted the huge scale of dumping near the river is worrying. He said the debris needs urgent removal as per the provisions of the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules.
The formation of the committee is a significant step towards fixing accountability. However, urgent action is needed to remove the debris before the onset of monsoon to prevent further environmental damage. The well-being of the river and surrounding ecology should be the top priority for the committee in expeditiously resolving this long-pending issue.
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
