Chandigarh: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) for failing to recover Rs 8.4 crore in environmental compensation imposed for violations of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, at Jalandhar’s Wariana dumpsite.A bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad took serious note of unscientific dumping, fires at waste heaps, inadequate leachate management and lack of basic waste-management infrastructure at the site.The tribunal noted that PPCB had imposed Rs 6.6 crore in environmental compensation for violations between Jul 1, 2020, and Dec 31, 2025. An additional Rs 2.7 crore was levied, taking the total to Rs 9.3 crore. The department of local govt, through the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company, deposited only Rs 90 lakh, leaving Rs 8.4 crore to be recovered.The NGT observed that PPCB had not disclosed any serious attempt to recover the outstanding amount. The board said it would write to the Jalandhar deputy commissioner within two weeks for recovery of the dues as arrears of land revenue.A PPCB inspection report found that none of the municipal corporation vehicles used for collecting and transporting solid waste was compartmentalised. Waste was neither segregated before being sent to the dumpsite nor at the site.The report also recorded spot fires, including two major ones, at waste heaps along the road to the dumpsite. There was no weighbridge to ascertain the quantity of waste received.The inspection found no boundary wall or fencing around the site, resulting in waste spilling onto the road. There was also no plantation around the dumpsite.PPCB found that piezometers had not been installed and there was no leachate treatment facility. Leachate was partly discharged into the sewer and partly stagnating at the site.The board also reported that the Jalandhar municipal corporation had created a small dump along the Kala Sanghian drain at its intersection with Kapurthala road. The waste was supposed to be shifted to the original dumpsite but had not been moved when the report was filed.The Jalandhar municipal commissioner told the tribunal that legacy waste at the site was assessed at 12,70,600. The applicant disputed the figure, saying no proper assessment had been carried out. The NGT directed PPCB to conduct a spot inspection and assess the quantity of legacy waste at the site.The next hearing is on Oct 28, 2026.
