DIMAPUR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Nagaland government and six other respondents to reply to a petition for closure of the garbage dumping ground located at Sunrise colony, Burma Camp, in Dimapur.
Hearing the petition filed by Sunrise colony, the Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata, of the tribunal, in an order, on July 1 asked the state government and other respondents to file their para-wise replies within four weeks pertaining to the petition.
The tribunal particularly directed Dimapur deputy commissioner, Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC), chairman of Nagaland Pollution Control Board and the chief executive officer of DMC to file their personal affidavits by the next date of listing.
The Sunrise colony had filed the petition before the NGT through advocate M Padhi against the state government, Dimapur Municipal Council and others praying for, among others, directing the respondents to immediately close the dumping ground located at the colony and remove all the legacy waste on the surface as well as the waste buried underneath below the land surface which was filled by digging pits and earth excavation and to rehabilitate the dumping site.
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The petitioner also urged that the respondents be directed to take necessary measures to rejuvenate the environmental impact caused to the colony and its adjoining area due to “illegal dumping” of garbage over the years.
The NGT passed the order after hearing Padhi, the counsel appearing (in virtual mode) on behalf of the applicant.
“The applicant has also prayed that the Dimapur Municipal Council may be directed to relocate the dump site to a more appropriate place in conformity with the environmental norms. The respondents shall also consider this plea of the applicant in their reply,” the order said.
The Sunrise Colony Council, in a release, said it had earlier filed a PIL before the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, demanding to shift the DMC dumping ground.
The state respondents had participated in the case by filing their respective affidavits.
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However, on March 14, 2022, when the matter was listed for hearing before the high court, the counsel representing the state government raised the maintainability of the petition by stating that the subject matter of the PIL comes under the jurisdiction of the NGT.
The PIL was disposed of on March 15, 2022, by the court by giving liberty to Sunrise Colony to approach the NGT.
The colony, therefore, approached the NGT, the release said.