Disposal of solid waste in scientific way in the city of Jammu has lately become a much talked about subject in Jammu civil society and the ruling circles. Moreover, a PIL Rajinder Singh versus the J&K State has laid bare the layers of incompetence, carelessness and apathy of various Government and civic agencies to the extent that the Division Bench hearing the PIL had to say in public hearing that the entire discussion somehow conveys that there is no administration in the State. This subject has been hanging fire for so many years and solution to the problem that threatens public health is nowhere in sight. Jammu is smaller than so many cities in the country. The question is when large cities with population thrice or four times that of Jammu can manage scientific treatment of solid waste why Jammu Municipal Corporation or any other Government agency connected with clean environment and ecology is not able to set up waste disposal mechanism on scientific lines. Statistics reveal that a total of 653 metric ton of solid waste is generated every day in Jammu region out of which 605 metric ton is collected and only 5.5 metric ton per day is treated. There is no mechanism for scientific disposal of waste and maximum waste is either thrown in River Tawi or dumped in open at Bhagwati Nagar on about 60 kanals of land despite the fact that the dumping site is at a distance of less than three kilometres from landing strip of Jammu Airport. Open dumping of solid waste is a treat to birds that swarm to collect crumbs. At the same time swarming of birds poses serious threat to aircraft flight so close to the waste dump. In the recent hearing, Additional Advocate General Rohit Kapoor appearing for the Pollution Control Board made a power point presentation highlighting the mechanism to monitor ambient air quality in Jammu. It is all right that he made a presentation but Senior Additional Advocate General S.S Nanda, who was appearing for Housing and Urban Development Department and Jammu Municipal Corporation, could not convince the DB when the latter asked pointed questions on various s aspects of the subject. The DB took serious note of the fact that none from the Jammu Municipal Corporation was present in the court to answer questions. The DB wanted to know the status of land identified at Kote Bhalwal for scientific disposal of solid waste. But, the Senior AAG failed to give any satisfactory reply. Pitying the Municipal Corporation of Jammu, the Chief Justice observed that one could see garbage littered around on the roads of Jammu.
The point is that no doubt there are Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 which are to be implemented by the Municipal Corporation and in these rules the duties of waste generators and urban development agencies have been clearly defined. The real question is that of implementing the rules. The question is that of availability of adequate paraphernalia including manpower required for scientific treatment of solid waste. As long as that condition is not fulfilled, it is futile to expect the Municipal Corporation to deliver the goods. This question has been under discussion year after year and still no final solution is in sight. Even the DB remarked that authorities make the rules but fail to implement them.
We have also noted that there only scant coordination among three or four agencies concerned with the scientific disposal of solid waste. The Municipal Corporation of Jammu is supposed to play the leading role because under known practice it is the Corporation everywhere that is in the forefront of disposal of waste. It is in fitness of things that the Department of Housing constitutes a committee representing all those departments that are directly or indirectly connected with waste disposal and chalk out long term policy of scientific treatment of the solid waste in the city of Jammu taking all conditions and requirements into consideration. This committee should be give time schedule within which it should submit its report.
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