NGT raps Coimbatore Corporation, asks when will it stop dumping trash at Vellalore yard

CHENNAI: Reprimanding Coimbatore Corporation for its failure to remove legacy waste dumped in Vellalore dumping yard despite the lapse of 6 years, the southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the civic body to disclose when will the dumping of fresh garbage stop at the site.

Hearing a case pertaining to pollution due to the dumping yard, judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati observed that there was a direction to complete the process of dealing with the legacy waste within a period of 12 months. However, even after passage of almost 6 years, the promises made have not seen much progress.

The civic body informed the Tribunal that 275 acres in the Vellalore dumping yard was reclaimed and used for bio-mining purposes. Also, the Tribunal was told that the dumping of fresh garbage had considerably reduced from 81 per cent to 18 per cent and expressed that the dumping will be brought to nil.

After hearing the sides, the Tribunal directed the Corporation to submit a report on the areas that are continuing the dumping in the Vellalore and the time period within which the fresh dumping will be stopped. Details regarding the handling of legacy waste, including the plan of action and the timeframe within which the bio-mining will be completed.

Moreover, the Tribunal directed the secretary of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department to convene a meeting with the Commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation to arrive at a workable solution to the garbage issue.

V Eswaran, a resident of Coimbatore, filed the petition pointing out the dumping of garbage in Vellalore site is causing serious health hazard for the people and soil contamination due to leachate, apart from causing air pollution.

“After careful consideration of the report of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and noting that there is an apparent delay on the part of the Coimbatore Corporation in dealing with the legacy waste, this Tribunal recommended to identify a suitable alternative site for the establishment of a treatment plant in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Parallelly, the legacy waste at the old dumpsite was also directed to be dealt with in a scientific manner, as the capping was prohibited,” the Tribunal observed during the hearing.