The National Green Tribunal’s Eastern Zone Bench has ordered a joint inspection into allegations that municipal waste was being dumped in the land earmarked for a proposed bus terminal in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, bringing the project site and local waste-management practices under formal environmental scrutiny.
The committee, constituted on September 23, includes representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board, the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board and the Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum. It has been directed to visit the site, verify the allegations and recommend remedial measures after consulting the applicant and representatives of the concerned project proponents.
The order was passed while hearing Original Application No. 202/2026/EZ, Saurav Vishnu versus Jharkhand Pollution Control Board and Others. The tribunal said the allegations prima facie raised substantial questions relating to the implementation of environmental laws. The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board has been designated as the nodal agency for coordinating the committee’s work and ensuring compliance.
The committee must meet within two weeks and submit its report within six weeks of the field visit. The tribunal’s direction places the proposed bus stand site within a wider compliance process involving municipal waste handling, land use and the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
The bench also directed senior state and district authorities to ensure that waste is not dumped in violation of the rules or directions issued by the Supreme Court and the tribunal. Those named for compliance include the Principal Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department, the District Magistrate of East Singhbhum and the Commissioner of Mango Municipal Corporation.
The officials have been ordered to file action-taken reports through their own affidavits at least one day before the next hearing, rather than through affidavits filed by subordinate officers. The next date of hearing has been fixed for December 2. The tribunal said officials who fail to submit the required affidavits may have to appear before it physically or through video conference to explain the non-compliance.
The tribunal further directed the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board to verify the compliance status. If an environmental violation is found, the board must take remedial action, including filing a complaint before the adjudicating officer appointed under Section 15C of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The order also refers to possible penalties under Section 15 of the Act against officers found responsible.
The inspection will determine whether municipal waste was dumped at the proposed bus stand site, the extent of any violation and the corrective measures required. The committee’s report and the action-taken affidavits are expected to provide the next formal assessment of the site before the tribunal’s December hearing.
