KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A day after National Green Tribunal (NGT) slammed Srinagar Municipal Corporation for failing to dispose of garbage in the city, citizens criticised the municipal body for making the summer capital stink.
President of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mushtaq Ahmad Wani blamed the SMC for making Srinagarities suffer.
“SMC should implement the NGT order as soon as possible as people in city are suffering due to the stink and garbage,” Wani told KNS.
Wani said that Srinagar is the face of the Valley which is visited not only by the locals but by the tourists across the world.
“And SMC’s failure to dispose off the garbage scientifically troubles all,” he said.
National Green Tribunal on Thursday warned the state government that it would order dumping of all trash in the Secretariat complex if its orders were not implemented within a week.
NGT passed order a year ago in which it directed the state administration to set up a waste-to-energy plant in Srinagar. However, the authorities are yet to set up a plant here
It warned that in the event of default, the Chief Secretary, other concerned secretaries and commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) would be personally held responsible
The KCCI chief said that heaps of garbage lie on the Srinagar roads becomes a feeding ground for stray dogs, which then bite people.
“Why don’t they set up the plant and why are they leaving people to suffer,” he said, adding, the absence of dustbins across the Srinagar as unfortunate and is clear example of sluggishness of SMC.
Health experts said that the disposal of garbage on roadside is one of the main causes of several infectious diseases like typhoid, fever and cholera.
Citizens said that the garbage lying on roads has become health hazard for them.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) downplayed the NGT rap.
SMC Commissioner, Showkat Zargar said but they didn’t receive any official orders from NGT over garbage disposal.
“We came to know about NGT orders from newspapers but have not received any official orders yet. Until we will not receive any order from NGT, we cannot speak anything on it,” Zargar said.
