Okhla plant falls foul of Swachh norms, says plea

NEW DELHI: Residents of Sukhdev Vihar and neighbouring colonies have now cited Swachh mission norms to oppose the Okhla waste-to-energy plant, which is allegedly causing air pollution in the neighbourhood.
Complainants and their lawyers on Thursday carried the solid waste management manual prepared by the urban development ministry, according to which, incineration plants should be located at least 300 to 500 metres away from residential areas.It also states that such units should come up in industrial zones.
The Okhla waste-to-energy plant can handle 2,000 tonnes of garbage every day. “Whenever we raised the issue of location, Okhla plant authorities used to counter us saying there were no such norms. Now, the MoUD rules make it clear that they were wrong. So far, distances between incinerators and residences have been guided by the Municipal Waste Handling Rules, 2000. According to these norms, incinerators need to be integrated with sanitary landfills—which are required to be at least 500 metres away from residential areas,” said Ranjit Devraj, a resident.
The residents on Thursday submitted to NGT that the plant was about 150 metres from the boundary wall of Sukhdev Vihar and about 70 metres from Haji Colony. The maps have recently been submitted to the tribunal.
The new MoUD manual was, however, not discussed in NGT. It may be brought up on Friday when the case is heard again. “We will also raise the new guidelines with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB),” added Devraj.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) have submitted to NGT that the Ghazipur waste-to-energy plant hasn’t opened yet, which could have utilised 2,000 metric tonnes of waste. “We have appealed to NGT that the plant be made operational at the earliest. Besides, the construction and demolition waste plant in Shashtri Park has not received approval from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee yet. This is resulting in all the waste going to the Ghazipur landfill,” said Balendu Shekhar, a lawyer representing EDMC.
The Ghazipur plant uses refuse-derived fuel technology unlike the Okhla unit, which allegedly incinerates unsegregated waste.