Bhubaneswar: The Orissa high court has issued notices to the state govt, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), the Khurda district collector, and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation in response to a PIL concerning the unregulated dumping of municipal solid waste at a temporary transit station in Gadakana, Bhubaneswar.The PIL, filed by the Bhubaneswar Unnayana Parishad, a local civil society organisation, alleges that a dumping site near the southern boundary of Sainik School has been operating for 18 years without the necessary environmental clearances or safe waste management practices. The organisation claims that the site lacks approval from the OSPCB, raising serious environmental concerns.During a hearing on Monday, Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Manas Ranjan Pathak set Aug 4 as the deadline for responses from the involved parties, with the next hearing scheduled for the same date. The Central Pollution Control Board and Sainik School authorities have also been drawn into the case.Basudev Bhatt, chairman of the Bhubaneswar Unnayana Parishad, has highlighted the adverse effects of the dumping practice, citing air and water pollution and the associated health risks to nearby residents. Despite ongoing protests and demands for action, authorities allegedly turned a blind eye to the issue.The petition further accuses the govt of misrepresenting the illegal dumping site as a temporary waste management centre, in violation of various regulations. It also challenges previous claims made to the National Green Tribunal that all waste was being processed through cement factories and composting, labelling these assertions as misleading.
