In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed civil appeals by the Pune Municipal Corporation and waste facility operator against the National Green Tribunal's order to shut a Garbage Processing Plant operating at Baner, Pune. The Tribunal had found the plant violated environmental norms and residents' right to a clean environment. The Supreme Court held that the Tribunal wrongly applied the 2016 Solid Waste Management Rules to a facility authorized and operational under the 2000 Rules. The Court found the plant lawfully established with proper authorization and environmental clearance, and that its closure would harm public interest by forcing organic waste transport across the city. However, the Court directed strict compliance with environmental recommendations and improvements, including odour control systems, covered storage, bitumen roads, plantation cover, and biannual environmental audits."
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