HC seeks details of solid waste mgmt in all 44 dists

Jaipur: In a firm reminder that court directions cannot remain on paper, Rajasthan high court has directed the state govt to file a comprehensive affidavit detailing the actual status of solid waste management in all 44 districts of Rajasthan.Passing the order on Feb 12, a copy of which was uploaded on the court's website Thursday, the HC made it clear that it expected concrete, ground-level information on sanitation measures, and not mere policy statements or assurances.
Hearing a long-pending public interest litigation (PIL) on civic apathy and poor urban sanitation in Sikar, the division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sangeeta Sharma instructed the additional advocate general to submit the status report by way of an affidavit, as earlier directed by the court on Oct 3, 2023."Despite the lapse of considerable time, a complete and satisfactory report is yet to be placed on record," the court said.The court specifically ordered that the affidavit spell out steps taken for effective solid waste management across the state, including door-to-door garbage collection systems, removal of accumulated waste from towns and cities, and details of sanitation staff deployed in various municipal areas.The PIL, filed by Kesar Mahavir Seva Trust and others, drew attention to persistent failures of municipal bodies in handling rubbish, leading to unhygienic conditions, health hazards, and environmental degradation in Sikar."When we filed the writ petition in 2016, it was specifically for Sikar. On Sept 16, 2016, the HC asked the state to provide data on sanitation facilities based on the govt's notification issued on March 11, 2015, in which the govt promised to adopt a mechanism for handling solid waste management. The court then asked the state to provide data for every district in the state," said Kinshuk Jain, counsel for the petitioner.The matter was listed for further hearing on April 6, when HC will examine the affidavit of the state govt.