SRINAGAR: After years of alleged environmental violations by the Municipal Council Poonch, the Deputy Commissioner has finally initiated the recovery of over Rs 1.62 crore as Environmental Compensation for unauthorised dumping of municipal solid waste along the Suran River, locally referred to as Plast Nadi. This significant move follows the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and comes in response to a petition filed by noted RTI and environmental activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
The NGT had earlier reprimanded the district administration for failing to enforce environmental rules under the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. In compliance with the tribunal’s latest directives, the Deputy Commissioner, who also serves as the District Magistrate, submitted an affidavit to the NGT on April 16, stating that Tehsildar Haveli Poonch has been instructed to issue a Writ of Demand under Section 62 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act 1996 Svt.
As per the affidavit, Tehsildar Haveli, also designated as Assistant Collector Class-2, formally issued the demand writ on April 8, 2025, directing the Chief Executive Officer of Municipal Council Poonch to deposit Rs 162.9 lakh as arrears of land revenue within 15 days. The writ warns that failure to comply will result in the issuance of an arrest warrant against the CEO.
The Tribunal had earlier imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on the Deputy Commissioner for delaying submission of a response in the matter. The penalty was ordered by the NGT’s Principal Bench—comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr A Senthil Vel—on September 9, 2024, after the DC failed to file a compliance report as directed in an earlier order dated May 24, 2024. In his recent affidavit, the DC attached a copy of the Rs 10,000 demand draft addressed to the Registrar General of the NGT.
“This action was long overdue,” said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who filed the petition several years ago. “For the past 10 years, I have been urging the authorities to ensure scientific waste management in Poonch city, but the municipality has continued to dump all its solid waste along the Suran River.”
The case is now listed for further hearing before the NGT on April 17, 2025.
