Supreme Court Allows Pune Garbage Processing Plant To Remain Open
Supreme Court Allows Pune Garbage Processing Plant To Remain Open
On Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned an order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that sought to close an organic waste processing plant (Garbage Processing Plant) in Baner, Pune. The court’s decision, led by Justice BR Gavai, found that shutting down the plant would ultimately harm public interest more than it would help.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had appealed against the NGT’s October 27, 2020, order, arguing that closing the GPP would force waste to be transported across the city to Hadapsar, causing foul odors and public nuisance. The court agreed with PMC, stating that relocating the waste processing would be detrimental to the city’s cleanliness and quality of life.
The NGT’s closure order followed a petition by Sus Road Baner Vikas Manch, which represented residents who objected to the GPP’s presence in a residential area. The tribunal had mistaken the GPP’s location as part of a planned bio-diversity park, which was not accurate. The court found that the bio-diversity park was intended for a different site, and the residential projects had started only after the GPP was sanctioned.
The Supreme Court also criticized the residents’ proposal to move the plant to other areas, emphasizing that such relocation would simply shift the problem.
To address pollution concerns, the court mandated several measures: the installation of portable compactors with hook mechanisms by year-end, the construction of bitumen roads for clean waste transfer, and covering the reject area with a shed.
