SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

Before:- J.S. Verma, C.J.I., B.N. Kirpal and V.N. Khare, JJ.

Writ Petn. (C) No. 888 of 1996. D/d. 16.1.1998.

Almitra H. Patel and another - Petitioners

Versus

Union of India and others - Respondents

For the Appearing Parties :- Altaf Ahmad, Addl. Solicitor General, Mr. Joseph Vellappally, Mr. N. N. Goswami, Mr. Bhimrao N. Naik, Mr. R. Mohan, Mr. T. C. Ray, Mr. A. Raghubir, Sr. Advocates, Mr. Nikhil Sakhadande, Mr. R. N. Karanjawala, Ms. Manik Karanjawala, Ms. Nandini Gore, Mr. Y. P. Mahajan, Mr. P. Parmeswaran, Ms. Anil Katiyar, Mr. D. N. Mishra, Mr. M. N. Shroff, Mr. R. K. Maheshwari, Mr. S. K. Agnihotri, Ms. Yogmaya Agnihotri, Mr. V. G. Pragasam, Mr. Anil Shrivastav, Mr. Vijay Panjwani, Mr. S. Prakash, Ms. Beena Prakash, Mr. Ashok K. Srivastava, Mr. H. S. Parihar, Mr. Gyanendra Agarwal, Mr. Bharat Sangal, Mr. K. R. Nagaraja, Mr. K. K. Tyagi, Mr. H. K. Puri, Mr. Bijan Ghosh, Mr. K. B. Rohtagi, Ms. Aparna Rohtagi, Mr. B. S. Chahar, Mr. Prem Malhotra, Mr. Ashok Mathur, Mr. S. K. Mehta, Mr. Dhruv Mehta, Mr. Fazlin Anam, Ms. Sobha Verma, Ms. A. Subhashini, Mr. K. S. Bhati, Mr. Bhaumik, Mr. K. H. Nobin Singh, Ms. Hemantika Wahi, Ms. Neithonp Rhetro, Mr. S. C. Patel, Mr. B. B. Singh, Mr. Shiv Sagar Tiwari, Ms. Kirti Mishra, Mr. Pradeep Mishra, Ms. Niti Dikshit, Mr. T. Mahipal, Mr. Ujjwal Banerjee, Mr. Gopal Singh, Mr. V. Krishna Murthy, Mr. M. A. Chinnasamy, Mr. K. Ram Kumar, Ms. Asha N. Nair, Mr. C. Balasubramanian, Mr. Y. Subba Rao, Mr. Santhi Narayan, Mr. Ranjan Mukherjee, Mr. R. S. Sodhi, Mr. Kailash Vasdev, Mr. C. K. Sasi, Mr. Z. Angami, Mr. D. M. Nargolkar, Mr. Sunil Kumar Jain, Mr. Vijay Hansaria and Mr. Jatinder Kumar Bhatia, Advocates.

Constitution of India, Article 32 - Town Planning - Urban development - Matter of urban solid waste management - Supreme Court issued directions for constitution of Committee for class I cities to suggest hygienic processing and waste disposal practices, to improve municipal bye-laws and powers of local bodies etc. and local authorities and concerned State Govts. directed to extend co-operation and assistance to the Committees for their proper functioning.

[Paras 4, 5 and 6]

ORDER

J. Section Verma, J. :- We have heard learned Additional Solicitor General and Shri Vellapalli, learned senior counsel. We consider it appropriate at this stage to constitute a Committee and to specify the specific aspects which the Committee is required to examine. We direct accordingly.

2. The Committee for Class I Cities (having population over one lac) shall consists of the following :-

1. Mr. Asim Burman	Chairman
(Commissioner, Calcutta Municipal Corpn.)
2.Mr. S.R. Rao	Member
(Secretary, SSI, Govt. of Gujarat and ex-Commr., Surat)
3.Mr. S.K. Chawla	Member
Chief Engineer, CPWD
4. Mr. P. U. Asnani	Member
(Urban Env. Infrastructure Rep. for India, USAID and Consultant, Ahmedabad Mun. Corpn.)
5. Dr. Saroj	Member
(Jt. Director,Ministry of Environment and Forests)
6. Mr. Rajat Bhargava	Member
(Commissioner, Vijayawada Mun. Corpn.)
7.Mr. Yogendra Tripathi	Member
(Dy. Secy. Urban Dev.Secretary MOUA and E)Secretary
8. Mrs. Almitra Patel(Convener	Member
INTACH Waste Network)

3. The terms of Reference for the Committee shall be as under :

4. To look into all aspects of urban solid waste management, particularly :

1. Examine the existing practices and to suggest hygienic processing and waste disposal practices and proven technologies on the basis of economic feasibility and safety which the Corporations/Government may directly or indirectly adopt or sponsor.

2. Examine and suggest ways to improve conditions in the formal and informal sector for promoting eco-friendly sorting, collection, transportation, disposal, recycling and reuse.

3. To review Municipal bye-laws and the powers of local bodies and regional planning authorities and suggest necessary modifications to ensure effective budgeting, financing, administration, monitoring and compliance.

4. Examine and formulate standards and regulations for management of urban solid waste, and set time frames within which the authorities shall be bound to implement the same.

5. The Committee is requested to give its report as early as possible preferably not later than 30th June, 1998. The Committee is also requested to give such interim reports as it may find convenient so to do.

6. The Secretarial assistance at Delhi will be provided by the Ministry of Urban Development which will also make all other arrangements required by the Committee for its proper functioning while arrangements within the States/Union Territories would be made by the concerned State/UT. The expenses incurred for the purpose to the same extent would be borne at this stage by the Ministry of Urban Development and the concerned State Government/UTs. The final responsibility for meeting these expenses would be decided later on.

7. The Local authorities and concerned State Governments/Union Territories shall extend all co-operation and assistance to the Committee for its proper functioning.

8. List the matter on 20th July, 1998.

Order accordingly.