NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday allowed transportation and disposal of hazardous chemical waste from the Bhopal gas tragedy site at a treatment-storage-disposal-facility (TSDF) in the industrial town of Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih refused to interfere with the order of Madhya Pradesh high court for shifting of waste – trial run of which was to start on Thursday. The court said the decision was made after consultations with reputed institutions such as NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) and Central Pollution Control Board. TNN
“NEERI is the most recognised and reputed organisation in the country dealing with environmental aspects,” the court said in its order. “Whenever the court finds difficulty in assessing a question with regard to environmental damages, it always takes NEERI on board. The minutes of the committee’s meeting reveal that the experts took a decision after recording the views of directors of NEERI, NGRI and the chairman of CPCB,” the court said in its order.
As senior advocates Devadatt Kamat and Anand Grover, appearing for the petitioners, said the state govt had not complied with some of the committee’s recommendations, the bench allowed them to raise their grievances before the HC, which is monitoring the entire process.
The petitioners had moved the SC opposing the HC’s order on transportation and disposal of 337 tonnes of Bhopal gas tragedy toxic waste at a Pithampur facility, 250 km from Bhopal and around 30 km from Indore.