Supreme Court rebukes Lt Governor, terms Delhi's garbage problem an emergency

The court has given time till August 17 for a master plan to handle the garbage crisis in the city.

File photo

New Delhi: Highlighting that the capital is currently in the grips of a massive waste management crisis, the Supreme Court on Monday admonished Lt. Governor Anil Baijal for not having a tough and immediate plan to tackle the problem.

Taking a grim view of the problem of garbage disposal in Delhi, the apex court said that there is a health crisis already. "1800 tons of garbage is collected daily from just south Delhi. Your waste management plant will start in December. Do you have an idea how much garbage will get accumulated by then? More than 7 lakh tons," the court told LG. "There is an emergency in Delhi but your reaction is not like that. You have no idea."

The top court also cited a report released by Sir Gangaram Hospital which says that half of the city's population is at risk of contracting lung cancer. "You cannot just take garbage from one house and dump it in another. You will have to come up with solutions. People of Sonia Vihar are correct in complaining. Because they are underprivileged, you want to create a hillock of garbage near their homes?"

Residents of Sonia Vihar had protested against garbage being dumped near their homes.

This is not the first time that the LG has had to face massive flak for the garbage problem in the city. Last month, SC had flayed him for not handling the garbage problem effectively and also for not attending a crucial meeting which dealt with the issue. "You (LG) say, I have the power. I  am a superman. But you don't do anything," the court had observed.

The LG, on his part, had conveyed that a new waste management plant is under works and that it cannot come up overnight. The court though maintained its position and has now given time till August 17 for a master plan to be presented.