SRINAGAR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) to inspect a municipal waste dumping site near Newa village in Pulwama district after three months to verify compliance with environmental norms. The order came after a petition alleged unscientific and illegal dumping of municipal solid waste by the Municipal Council of Pulwama on Karewa land surrounded by apple and almond orchards.
The NGT’s Principal Bench, comprising Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel, passed the order while disposing of the case on its first hearing. The tribunal directed the petitioner, environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, to file a detailed representation before the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipal Council Pulwama. The bench said that if the allegations are found to be true, the waste must be cleared from the site within three months.
The order further stated that the JKPCC would inspect the area after three months to verify whether remedial measures had been taken. In case violations persist, the JKPCC has been authorised to impose environmental compensation on the Municipal Council of Pulwama. “If the violation is found to be continuing, appropriate action for imposition of environmental compensation will be initiated by respondent number 2 (JKPCC),” the tribunal’s order reads.
According to the petition filed through Advocate Saurabh Sharma, the Municipal Council Pulwama has been dumping mixed solid, biomedical, and plastic waste on the Karewa land in Newa, around five kilometres from the town, in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The waste is allegedly buried under soil and burnt in the open, posing risks to the surrounding orchards and the environment. “The site cannot be developed even as a sanitary landfill due to its elevated location,” Advocate Sharma told the tribunal, adding that photographs and videos submitted as evidence clearly showed the violations.
The tribunal noted that while a complaint had been made earlier, no comprehensive representation had been submitted directly to the Municipal Council’s CEO. It therefore instructed the petitioner to do so and directed the council to take swift corrective action if the complaint is found to have merit.
The petitioner also highlighted potential hazards to aircraft movement in the area, as large numbers of birds, including eagles, have been sighted near the garbage site over the past several months, raising concerns over possible bird strikes.
The tribunal’s order, dated October 13, 2025, concluded that the case (Original Application No. 515/2025) was being disposed of with these directions, requiring the Municipal Council to act promptly and the Pollution Control Committee to ensure follow-up compliance.
