SRINAGAR: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a cost of Rs 15,000 on the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for failing to submit a mandatory progress report and undertaking on the remediation of legacy waste at the Achan landfill site in Srinagar.
The order was passed by the Principal Bench of the NGT in New Delhi on January 9, 2026, while hearing an application filed by environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat. The Bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, noted serious lapses on the part of the civic body in complying with earlier directions.
The Tribunal observed that in its earlier order dated March 20, 2025, it had taken note of the presence of around 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste at the Achan landfill site, along with a treatment shortfall of nearly 350–400 tonnes per day of freshly generated waste. At that time, the SMC had placed before the Tribunal a phased action plan and was directed to file an undertaking within 10 days, assuring completion of the work within the prescribed timeline.
However, the Tribunal noted that no such undertaking was filed and no progress report had been placed on record since the March 2025 order. As a result, the Bench said it was unable to assess the steps taken so far to address the waste crisis at the landfill site.
During the hearing, counsel for the Srinagar Municipal Corporation submitted that a fresh status report had been filed a day earlier, but conceded that it had been filed belatedly and had not yet come on record.
Taking note of the lapse, the Tribunal imposed a cost of Rs 15,000 on the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, directing that the amount be deposited with the NGT Bar Association within one week. The Bench said the belated status report would be taken on record only after the cost is deposited and if the report is found to be free of defects.
The Tribunal further directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation to file a fresh and updated report detailing the current status of legacy waste at the Achan landfill site, the facilities created for treating daily generated waste, and the existing gap between waste generation and treatment capacity. The updated report has been ordered to be filed at least one week before the next hearing.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 8, 2026.
