Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding throwing of garbage in a drain which claimed the life of a child, Delhi, 13/01/2025
Inspite of repeated communications by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi, no action was taken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to prevent throwing of muck in the drain in the Rajendra Nagar Extension area of Delhi. Inspite of service of notice, no one was present on behalf of Municipal Corporation of Delhi and District Magistrate, West Delhi.
The NGT, January 13, 2025 took a serious view of the negligence being committed on the part of the authorities and directed the Commissioner, MCD and the District Magistrate, West Delhi to appear virtually on the next date of hearing (April 25, 2025) and appraise the tribunal.
In the original application, registered suo motu, the NGT had taken up the matter of the death of a 13 year old boy who drowned in an open drain filled with garbage.
The Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi stated that the garbage present in the drain is due to the absence of a proper door to door collection system of waste by civic agency thereby leading to dumping of garbage by residents of adjoining colonies outside their premises in a haphazard manner. Further, the limited space available at landfill site also affects the process of disposal of silt. Time and again requests have been made to the landfill site operator for accepting the silt but no improvement/response received.
That the I&FC Department has also time and again referred the matter to MCD for stoppage of illegal. dumping of garbage/malba and solid waste into the drain at appropriate level but no response received from the civic agency. Further, the MCD dhalaos/compactors do not accept the garbage/floating material from any source other than MCD and request to this effect for allowing I&FC Department to dispose off the floating materials removed from KSN drain/irrigation channels into the nearby dhalaos/compactors near Nangloi Najafgarh road/Sayed Nangloi area have been made to MCD but no response received.