A monitoring committee of National Green Tribunal (NGT) led by Justice (Retired) Jasbir Singh, chairman along with its members including Former Chief Secretary/Member SC Aggarwal and technical expert Babu Ram on Monday directed the officials of district administration to fix the deadline of the solid waste management projects (SWMPs), Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and others works and ensure timely completion.The Committee held a meeting with the top officials of the district administration including Deputy Commissioner Dr. Priti yadav, ADC Mrs. Deep Shika Sharma and heads of other key departments PPCB, irrigation, local bodies, health, drainage, panchayat and rural development, soil conservation, industry and others in the district administrative complex.
The Chairman Justice (Retired) Jasbir Singh said that the officials will have to fix the timeline of each component in the projects including preparation of DPR, tendering, date of execution and completion and the committee will also check the progress of the projects regularly by visiting the sites.Justice (Retired) Jasbir Singh said that no laxity will be tolerated if any Municipal council and Nagar Panchayat fail to comply with the guidelines issued by NGT. Penalties would be imposed on the officers in case of derelictions in the duty.Justice (Retd.) Jasbir Singh said that it is a serious matter that there is only 17 to 20 years of drinking water left in the state and the earth's temperature is constantly rising and glaciers are melting. If we do not take concrete steps in the present, future generations will have to face serious consequences.
He directed the Panchayat Department to fill the village ponds with clean water and get it properly cleaned. He also directed the villages to adopt modern techniques of rainwater harvesting for recharge of ground water. He said that a large amount of funds were being sent by the central government for rainwater harvesting.The monitoring committee also asked the authorities to ensure green belt and fencing around the solid waste management sites and proper management of animal carcasses in the district. In addition, CCTV Cameras and piezometers should also be installed at dumping sites.The members of the monitoring committee also asked the authorities to manage the e-waste collection centers so that people could dump e-waste there. He also asked to set up a station for monitoring air pollution in the district.The committee said that all the projects should be completed on time and asked the authorities to make the protection of environment a "top priority" so that we can provide a secure future for our coming generations.
In addition, the committee asked the police department to ensure that each SHO has frequency meters available to monitor the noise level in their area. He also asked to put up sign boards in the silence zone areas.He said that private hospitals should strictly follow the rules of biomedical waste management to prevent the spread of diseases and damage to the environment.n the occasion the committee asked the Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats of Rupnagar district to ensure implementation of the instructions regarding waste dumping points by December 31, 2022. They also have to manage the electronic waste such as mobiles, laptops, TVs, LEDs, battery as per SoPs. He also asked to install the box separately for the maintenance of such E-waste. He also issued instructions for the management of household bio-medical wastes such as sanitary napkins, diapers etc. The committee also asked the mining department to carry out geo-fencing of the mining sites.
Likewise, the committee also exhorted the people to start segregation of waste at the homes to help the administration in eliminating the garbage dumping points in the district.eputy Commissioner Dr. Preeti Yadav assured the committee will ensure timely compliance with the guidelines and will strictly implement these guidelines in both urban and rural areas.Dr. Preeti Yadav said that with the help of Punjab Pollution Control Board a special campaign would be launched to create awareness among the people of the district so that the environment could be protected in a scientific manner.In this meeting, Environmental Engineer A.K. Sharma, A.D.C. D. Dinesh Kumar Vishisht, DMC Dr. Baldev Singh, DDPO Amarinderpal Singh, DRO Gurjinder Singh, XEN P.W.D. Devinder Kumar, EO Shri Anandpur Sahib Gurdeep Singh, EO Kiratpur Sahib GB Sharma, E.O. Ropar Bhajan Chand, EO Morinda Ashok Patharia, EO Nangal Manjinder Singh and other senior officials were also present.