The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Hamirpur Municipal Corporation (HMC) in Himachal Pradesh to clear all 10,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste at the Dughneri site by February 10, 2026.
The directive came as a two-member bench of the NGT disposed of a plea in the Rita Sharma and Others vs State of Himachal Pradesh case.
The bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member A. Senthil Vel, noted that HMC Commissioner Abhishek Garg had submitted a written undertaking, assuring the tribunal that he would ensure complete clearance of the waste.
The NGT also directed the State Pollution Control Board to inspect the site soon after the February 10 deadline. The last hearing in the case was held on October 17, and a copy of the order was made available on Wednesday.
The tribunal observed that despite earlier directions, just a small portion of the waste had been treated so far.
It noted that the civic body had earlier filed an affidavit detailing an execution plan that included processing around 17 metric tonnes of waste daily through composting, bio-methanation, piggeries, and dry waste segregation, while ensuring no new legacy waste was created.
The HMC proposed using two separator machines with a combined capacity of 200–250 metric tonnes per day to process the waste and send recyclable materials to authorised recyclers.
It further stated that Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) fractions would be sent to paper mills and inert waste would be used as landfill cover.
The civic body also plans to set up new compost pits, overhead sheds, and a leachate management system, along with an upgraded power supply to support the operation.
In his undertaking dated August 12, Garg assured that separate arrangements would be made for fresh and legacy waste, no new pile-up would occur except in extreme weather, and that the entire 10,000 metric tonnes of waste would be cleared by February 10.
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