Srinagar, Jul 29: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to furnish a detailed affidavit on the status of legacy waste clearance at the Achan landfill site, expressing concern over delays in meeting the waste remediation timeline.
Hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, the Principal Bench of the NGT noted that while the SMC had informed the Tribunal in September 2025 that the entire legacy waste would be cleared by March 2027, its latest compliance report has extended the deadline to March 2028. The Tribunal observed that the fresh report, dated March 27, 2026, was not supported by an affidavit.
The Tribunal directed the Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, to disclose the quantity of legacy waste cleared since September 2025, the method adopted for its treatment, the utilisation of compost and inert material generated after processing, the amount of solid waste generated daily, the quantity treated each day, and the existing gap between waste generation and treatment.
According to the compliance report submitted by the SMC, around 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste are lying at the Achan landfill, of which nearly 40,000 metric tonnes have been processed so far through bio-mining. The Corporation stated that waste is being segregated into recyclables, refuse-derived fuel (RDF), inert material and soil, and that bio-mining operations are being scaled up with a revised target of completing the exercise by March 2028.
The report also stated that Srinagar generates around 520–550 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day, while existing processing facilities can handle only about 150 tonnes daily, leaving a treatment gap of 320–350 tonnes per day. To bridge this gap, the SMC has proposed an 800 TPD Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility comprising an RDF plant, compressed biogas (CBG) plant, expanded Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and a scientific landfill. The proposal is awaiting administrative approval.
The Tribunal granted the SMC three weeks to file a fresh affidavit through the Commissioner addressing these issues and listed the matter for further hearing on October 7, 2026.
