The Supreme Court on Monday issued a directive to the satellite cities of Delhi, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, and Greater Noida, to establish explicit timelines for the segregation of solid waste, citing the need for compliance with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules of 2016. This action is part of a broader effort to address pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), prompted by a petition from advocate-activist MC Mehta.
A bench comprised of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted the inadequate progress in waste segregation, particularly in Haryana, where Gurugram reports only 15% and Faridabad 20% segregation of dry and wet waste. The situation in Greater Noida is particularly concerning, with the Uttar Pradesh government yet to provide data on waste management despite the area’s significant construction activity.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan expressed the court’s frustration with the lack of detailed reporting from Greater Noida and warned of potential stringent measures, including restrictions on further construction activities, should compliance not improve. “If there is no compliance, we shall be forced to take drastic steps to place an embargo on further construction work,” Justice Bhuyan remarked.
The matter is set to be revisited in a subsequent hearing scheduled for March 21, focusing specifically on Delhi, where waste segregation currently stands at 55% in areas governed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The broader NCR region’s compliance will be assessed in April, giving local authorities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana until the end of March to submit comprehensive affidavits detailing their waste segregation strategies and the responsible agencies.
Haryana’s additional advocate general (AAG) Lokesh Sinhal provided an optimistic outlook for Gurugram and Faridabad, projecting complete waste segregation by December 2025. He noted that several residential societies have already begun segregating waste at the source, registering with urban local bodies (ULBs) to formalize these efforts.
