FIR may be against North & East civic bodies by Delhi Government

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government may file FIR against the North and East civic bodies for garbage burning at the Ghazipur and Bhalswa landfill sites amid concerns that the toxic fumes may offset any gains from the odd-even scheme.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation and North Delhi Municipal Corporation had been penalised by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in February over fire at the landfill sites, which the corporations have refused to pay.

The DPCC in its notice to the MCDs, dated February 11, had slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 per day saying burning can occur only if there is an ignition initially provided "deliberately or negligently" by some one.

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain visited the Bhalswa site today, where simmering fire have been reported for over a week now, and said that he has instructed the DPCC to file an FIR and impose fresh penalties on the MCDs.

"From now onward, 15 fire tenders will be deployed round-the-clock at the Bhalswa site," Hussain tweeted.

The city produces a staggering 8360 MTD (Metric Tonnes Daily) waste but the existing capacity of its all three landfill sites stands at 4660 MTD, all of which are operating beyond their saturation point, the Economic Survey report by the Delhi government had pointed out.

Bhalswa landfill site was commissioned in the year 1994, Ghazipur in 1984 and Okhla in 1996 and none of them are designed as per the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2000.