"Shocking": Supreme Court flags repeated fires at Gurugram landfill, asks Centre to intervene

The Supreme Court on Friday expressed concern over recurring fires at the Bandhwari landfill in Gurugram and called for the intervention of the Central government through CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) to tackle the crisis and ensure air quality standards are upheld in the region..A Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan took note of the April 26 fire that raged at the Bandhwari site for nearly four days. “We were shocked to see the video, but can imagine what can be the extent of pollution. Even if fire has been extinguished… smoke still exists,” the Bench remarked..The landfill, which spans 30 acres and receives nearly 2,000 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad, currently contains 13 lakh metric tonnes of waste of which 9 lakh is legacy waste.Legacy waste denotes the long-standing accumulation of untreated or inadequately managed waste that has remained in landfills or dumpsites for extended periods. Such waste typically comprises municipal solid waste (MSW) along with industrial refuse, hazardous materials and construction and demolition debris.The Court observed that while the fire had officially been extinguished, toxic smoke continues to linger in the air. “This is the scenario of every town in the National Capital Region (NCR)” the Bench added..The Court was hearing the ongoing MC Mehta case concerning solid waste management when it took up the issue. It questioned the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on non-compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.Mr. Commissioner, why has this happened? Are you implementing the 2016 rules?” the bench asked.MCG Commissioner, appearing via video conference, admitted there were “some issues” but claimed the fire had been doused in 9 hours and that precautions such as methane detectors and infrared thermometers had been introduced.The Bench asked for the details of the action plan submitted by the corporation. It expressed concern on whether any precautionary steps were being taken to prevent such incidents in the future. .Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, assisting the Court as Amicus Curiae pointed out that there had been at least nine fires since 2024 and that, despite an action plan being submitted, only 45 percent of waste was being segregated. She said that under Section 14 of the CAQM Act, officers responsible for non-compliance with air quality directives can be held personally accountable.“Why is the CAQM not taking cognisance?” Singh asked, noting that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was also monitoring the situation but with limited enforcement..While the Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati submitted that orders had been passed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), not the CAQM, the bench directed the Centre to clarify whether CAQM can exercise powers under Section 12 of its Act in this case. “It must be noted that this landfill site is used not only by MCG but also by the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad. Therefore, it will be appropriate if CAQM issues a direction under Section 12,” the Court recorded in its order..The Court also asked the MCG Commissioner to file an affidavit specifying when the legacy waste would be cleared..The matter will now proceed after compliance affidavits are submitted and CAQM’s role is clarified by the Centre..[Read Order].[Read Live Coverage]