Supreme Court issues notice to PMC over Sus Road garbage plant violations
The action follows a contempt petition filed by Sus Road Baner Vikas Manch through advocate Satya Muley, highlighting blatant non-compliance of the Supreme Court’s 2024 directives on the issue.
Pune: In what is being seen as a a major step in addressing the long-standing grievances of Sus Road residents, who have battled for years for their right to clean air, the Supreme Court has taken serious cognisance of the alleged environmental violations at the garbage processing plant in the area and the hesitation of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take corrective measures. A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India on September 26 issued notices to PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) director Dr S. Venkata Mohan, and Noble Exchange CEO Nuriel Lakshman Pezarkar (private operator of the plant), making them personally answerable in contempt proceedings.
The action follows a contempt petition filed by Sus Road Baner Vikas Manch through advocate Satya Muley, highlighting blatant non-compliance of the Supreme Court’s 2024 directives on the issue. Sus Road residents had been complaining of unbearable foul odour from the Plant, hazardous bio-waste spilling into residential areas, and health problems such as lung ailments and chronic headaches. Besides, birds reportedly pick food waste and bones from the Plant and drop them in nearby homes, forcing families to keep doors and windows shut, they had claimed.
Advocate Satya Muley, on behalf of the petitioner, stated that while passing the order in 2024, the apex court had directed PMC and the plant management to take necessary steps so that foul odour does not bother the residents in the nearby buildings. However, the private operator did not comply with the mandatory court directives and, hence, a contempt petition was filed. Muley added that the final objective is to relocate the controversial garbage processing plant away from the residential zone to provide quality life to the residents.
“We have pointed out to the Supreme Court that the garbage being processed is not from the area but wet garbage from restaurants and eateries across the city, which is transported to the plant,” he added.
The contempt petition also mentions that the PMC overlooked illegal use of land and non-implementation of green cover directives. President of Sus Road Baner Vikas Manch, Vinay Deshpande, said that their anger stems from the lies of and betrayal by the PMC. “They got their permits/environmental clearance with falsified information and then had the audacity to mislead the Supreme Court. They claimed the land was theirs, but we all watched in disbelief as they encroached on a local resident’s private property to build roads and cover the foul mess. This wasn’t a mistake, it was a calculated act to fulfill the Supreme Court directives through illegal means,” he claimed.
