Supreme Court has directed Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh to appoint senior nodal officers for full implementation of solid waste segregation under the SWM Rules, 2016, with the first compliance report due by September 1, 2025
Supreme Court (Image Credit: X)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to appoint senior nodal officers responsible for achieving complete collection and segregation of municipal solid waste under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016.
A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan mandated that these officers submit their first compliance report by September 1, 2025, followed by quarterly updates thereafter. The court directed its registrar to forward filings to the bench overseeing this case.
Emphasising the need for public awareness, the bench instructed the National Capital Region (NCR) states and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to launch extensive campaigns — across print, electronic, and social media — highlighting Rule 4 of the SWM Rules, which requires waste generators to separate waste into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and hazardous streams before handing it over to authorised collectors.
Addressing construction and demolition debris violations, the court noted interim reports from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and directed it to compile data on enforcement actions taken by concerned authorities through July 2025. A consolidated affidavit must be filed by September 1, 2025.
The Supreme Court warned that, unless waste-segregation provisions are widely publicised and penalties enforced, effective implementation will remain elusive. The directives form part of ongoing proceedings tied to air pollution control measures in the NCR, where non-compliance by the Delhi government and civic bodies has previously prompted the court to contemplate stricter orders.
( Source : Asian Age )
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