Delhi govt imposes fine worth Rs 50 lakh on North MCD for Bhalaswa fire

New Delhi, April 28: Delhi government on Friday issued orders to impose a fine of Rs 50 lakh on North Municipal Corporation of Delhi (NMCD) for its alleged “negligence” in the case of fire at the Bhalswa landfill site. The Environment Ministry of Delhi has directed Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to levy the fine of Rs 50 lakhs on the NMCD. The direction has come after the status report filed by the DPCC about the landfill fire incident. Meanwhile, the ministry has also issued a number of directions to the civic body MCD based on the DPCC report which include permanent tanker stations at the top of landfill sites, construction of a peripheral road for ease of transportation, and the expansion of field workers. In addition, the four-member teams including officials from DPCC, East, and North MCD have been given orders for the Mumbai tour on Monday, May 2, to study the working model of Mumbai’s landfill sites gas sucking system. “Bhalswa landfill site caught fire as a result of North MCD’s irresponsibility. The fire broke out at roughly 5.30 p.m. on 26th April in the Bhalswa landfill site, engulfing around 1 acre of ground due to limited availability of water tankers and negligence by MCD,” Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Stating the findings of the DPCC report, Rai said constant discharge of methane gas from the landfill sites, rising temperatures in Delhi, and a dry atmosphere are among the main reasons behind the regular fires in landfill sites. “To regulate the continuously emitted methane gas, the Ministry has also issued orders to use Mumbai’s gas sucking mechanism as a permanent solution. A field visit for this task of DPCC and MCD officials has been planned,” he added. (UNI)