NEW DELHI: In a major relief to fiscally stressed Rajasthan, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order directing the Ashok Gehlot government to deposit Rs 3,000 crore as compensation for failure to implement solid and liquid waste management steps, consequently damaging the environment.
Additional advocate general Manish Singhvi pleaded with a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha that the state is committed to implement the solid and liquid waste management plans and is taking steps towards that. Having promised implementation of waste management plans, Singhvi requested the court to grant reprieve to the state from the huge financial burden.
The bench stayed NGT’s September 15 order asking the state to deposit Rs 3,000 crore, but reiterated that the state couldn’t be slack in implementing directions of the NGT on waste management.
Rajasthan has a fiscal deficit of Rs 58,211 crore, 4.3% of the GSDP, and an estimated revenue deficit of Rs 23,488 crore. The government’s total debt is about Rs 4.3 lakh crore.
In its September 15 order, a three-member NGT bench headed by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel had said, “In respect of gap in treatment of liquid waste/sewage, that is 1250 MLD (851 MLD for 68 cities + 400 MLD for the remaining State), compensation works out to Rs 2,500 crore and compensation for un-remediated legacy waste to the extent of 85 lakh cu.m/MT works out roughly to about Rs 255 crore”.
“Further, there is a per day gap of 2989 TPD (rounded off to 3000 TPD). If multiplied by 365 days (assuming it is remediated within the next one year), the figure of waste will come to 10.9 lakh (rounded off to 11 lakh). The total compensation under the head of failure to scientifically manage solid waste works out to Rs 555 crore. The total compensation is rounded off at Rs 3,000 crore which may be deposited by Rajasthan in a separate ring-fenced account within two months, to be operated as per directions of the Chief Secretary and utilised for restoration measures,” the NGT had said.
Additional advocate general Manish Singhvi pleaded with a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha that the state is committed to implement the solid and liquid waste management plans and is taking steps towards that. Having promised implementation of waste management plans, Singhvi requested the court to grant reprieve to the state from the huge financial burden.
The bench stayed NGT’s September 15 order asking the state to deposit Rs 3,000 crore, but reiterated that the state couldn’t be slack in implementing directions of the NGT on waste management.
Rajasthan has a fiscal deficit of Rs 58,211 crore, 4.3% of the GSDP, and an estimated revenue deficit of Rs 23,488 crore. The government’s total debt is about Rs 4.3 lakh crore.
In its September 15 order, a three-member NGT bench headed by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel had said, “In respect of gap in treatment of liquid waste/sewage, that is 1250 MLD (851 MLD for 68 cities + 400 MLD for the remaining State), compensation works out to Rs 2,500 crore and compensation for un-remediated legacy waste to the extent of 85 lakh cu.m/MT works out roughly to about Rs 255 crore”.
“Further, there is a per day gap of 2989 TPD (rounded off to 3000 TPD). If multiplied by 365 days (assuming it is remediated within the next one year), the figure of waste will come to 10.9 lakh (rounded off to 11 lakh). The total compensation under the head of failure to scientifically manage solid waste works out to Rs 555 crore. The total compensation is rounded off at Rs 3,000 crore which may be deposited by Rajasthan in a separate ring-fenced account within two months, to be operated as per directions of the Chief Secretary and utilised for restoration measures,” the NGT had said.
