NGT Solves BMC vs Aarey Dispute; Committee to Decide Who Will Clean Garbage

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken a step to address the ongoing garbage disposal issue at Aarey. On Wednesday, the NGT ordered the formation of a committee to decide who would be responsible for clearing the garbage accumulated along the banks of the Mithi River at Aarey. With the monsoon season approaching, the committee has been given a month to create a time-bound action plan.

This decision comes after months of back-and-forth between the BMC and Aarey Milk Colony, with both parties shifting the responsibility of collecting the debris onto each other. 

The committee will decide the best location for the debris to be moved from the Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road near the Tapeshwar Mandir. They will also determine who will bear the cost and how the task will be executed.

It includes representatives from the BMC, Aarey Milk Colony, MPCB, Environment Department, Urban Development Department, a scientist from NEERI, and a professor from IIT Bombay. The chief secretary of Maharashtra will lead the committee. 

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On July 7, 2023, the Tribunal ordered the BMC to remove the debris in Aarey. However, this order was not followed. The BMC said that it did not have the authority or responsibility to remove garbage from Aarey's boundaries, which are owned by the Aarey Milk Colony. The BMC appealed for the decision to be revoked in August.

Activists believe the trash is moved to JVLR, which is then pushed from a slope, which takes the garbage to the land owned by Aarey near Mithi River. This has resulted in the creation of a 25-metre tower that is 850 metres long and 80 metres wide. It is alleged that it contains 4 lakh MT of garbage. 

Stalin D, a director of an NGO, filed a plea with the NGT. Stalin also wrote to the Mumbai police, BMC, and principal secretary for the environment, Pravin Darade, as well as Avinash Dhakne from the MPCB, requesting that they should increase patrols at the location and identify the culprits.

According to the Construction and Demolition Trash Management Rules, 2016, the BMC is responsible for ensuring that C&D trash is disposed of safely. The Aarey Milk Colony acknowledges that it owns the property where the garbage is disposed of, but it lacks the resources and manpower to remove it.