Shimla: Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Science & Technology) Manisha Nanda today held a meeting with all Deputy Commissioners through video conference to discuss and workout action plan for ensuring effective implementation of plastic waste management practices and effective implementation of ‘Polythene Hatao, Paryavaran Bachao Campaign’ in the State. Departments of Urban Development, PWD, Tourism, Police and Forests also attended the meeting through video Conferencing.
Manisha Nanda emphasized on further enhanced coordination and coherence among various stakeholder departments. She said that under ‘Vision Document’ which had been adopted by the State Government as its policy document, strict implementation of ban on polythene had been prioritized and the State would be made ‘Polythene Waste Free State’. In order to achieve this objective, a tangible action framework is required to be drawn, she said.
She expressed concern over the performance of districts over non-checking of littering of wastes despite the fact that the compounding powers had been delegated to about 15 departments at field level up the constable level. She directed all the Deputy Commissioners to enforce the legal provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995.
Nanda directed the Public Works department to gear up for use of plastic waste in road construction and the Urban Development department to install cluster based solid waste management plants in Baddi, Mandi, Dharamshala, Kangra and Manali towns. She asked the Rural Development department to explore the possibility of preparing a plan to manage solid and liquid waste in rural areas. Besides Rural Development and Urban Development departments were asked to explore the possibility of setting up solid waste management facilities at least in 10 SADA areas. At least 15-20 such NGOs/ vendors would be targeted initially enabling them to link, propagate waste management practices for their working domain and livelihood opportunity in the State.
Manisha Nanda urged all the Deputy Commissioners to be more pro- active on checking, control of littering of plastic waste. She said now onwards bi-monthly review of plastic wastes management would be conducted. Special checking derives/ challaning would be carried out in all the districts on littering of wastes be it plastic or other wastes. Wherever the wastes was found littered on the government land private land, community land the nearby households, shops, hotels, restaurants, dhabas, establishments would be held responsible for violations.
The Forest Department was directed to issue instructions to all the field officials in the State to regularly check and challan on littering of waste in forests land, violations under the Act and ensure that no littering takes place in Forest land.
Special Secretary-cum-Director (Env. Sc. & Tech) D.C. Rana said that there were regulations, legal provisions in place and the implementation mechanism for plastic wastes management in the State but certainly more enforcement and regular checking was needed.
It was informed that under Rule 3 and 4 of the of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Rules 1996, the local authority was supposed to notify garbage management zones and garbage waste management committees respectively. As per the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 recyclable plastic was to be recycled and the plastic which can’t be recycled should be used in road construction and thermo set plastic should be processed and disposed off as per the guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board.
The decision was taken that all officers of various Departments who have been given powers under the HP Non-Biodegradable Act, 1995 to take action on violations would be reviewed keeping in view their performance. The district Kullu, Kinnaur, Una, Shimla and Solan has been poor performer as per reports available.
It was also decided that in future the performance of the all the officers who have been delegated with the powers under Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995 would be linked with performance under this Act as well.
