Govt laxity in treating waste 'shameful': SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday described as "shameful" and "shocking" the fact that nearly 3,000 tonne of waste generated daily in the national capital remains untreated, criticising the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for their laxity in the matter.

- Utkarsh Anand

"This is shameful. In the capital city of the country, this is happening," observed a bench of justices Abhay S Oka and AG Masih, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and questioning the sincerity of authorities in addressing the waste crisis.

The court order stated: "This is a shocking state of affairs that in the municipal areas of the national capital, there is generation of 3,000 tonnes of untreated solid waste every day. One can only imagine the drastic impact of such untreated waste on the environment."

The bench summoned the Delhi chief secretary via video conference to provide an explanation. However, the court found the responses inadequate, particularly regarding the absence of accurate data.