NGT Flags Open Dumping Near Kashmir's NH-44

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) By Syed Sammar Mehdi

New Delhi – Acting on a fresh petition, the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday ordered an immediate inspection of an illegal dumping site along National Highway 44 in Awantipora and directed the local municipal body to clear the waste without delay.

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The case, filed by social activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, came up before the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal, headed by Justice Prakash Srivastava. The bench took note of allegations that the Municipal Committee of Awantipora had been dumping solid waste near Padgampora Dangerpora village, close to both the highway and an irrigation canal known locally as Padgampora Nehar.

Counsel for the petitioner told the tribunal that waste collected from Awantipora and Tral towns was being dumped at the site without segregation or treatment. He argued that the location, next to a functioning canal, violates the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Photographs submitted to the tribunal showed mounds of garbage lying in the open. An inspection report dated Aug. 14, 2025, by the J&K Pollution Control Committee stated that the site had been set up without prior approval. On the same day, the pollution control body issued a show-cause notice to the municipal committee for violating environmental norms and proposed punitive action. The dumping, the petitioner said, continued despite that notice.

In its order, the tribunal directed the pollution control committee to conduct a fresh inspection, assess the quantity of waste dumped, determine how long it has remained there and report on steps taken to address the damage. It asked for a detailed report at least one week before the next hearing. The Municipal Committee of Awantipora has been ordered to take all remedial measures in the meantime.

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Responding to the order, Dr. Bhat said the government had allocated substantial funds to establish a sanitary landfill for the town. Instead, he said, authorities chose a site near the national highway and agricultural land and failed to implement a scientific waste management system.

He said repeated representations to officials did not stop the dumping, prompting him to approach the tribunal. He expressed hope that the bench would consider imposing environmental compensation on the municipal body at the next hearing.

The case is scheduled to be heard again on May 13, 2026.

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