Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Pawan Kotwal, chaired a meeting on May 3 to review compliance matters and discuss the monitoring of orders issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), dated April 6, 2023, in O.A No. 606/2018.

The meeting was in led by Brij Mohan, the Member Secretary of the Ladakh Pollution Control Committee (LPCC), who provided insight into the specific directives issued by the NGT and presented a detailed status report on Solid Waste Management to the chair. The objective of the meeting was to streamline Solid Waste Management in the UT of Ladakh and establish additional Sewage Treatment Plants to address gaps in both solid and liquid waste management.

Officials from various departments discussed the implementation status of Solid Waste Management Rules to bridge the existing gaps in Solid and Liquid Waste Management in the UT of Ladakh, in line with the directives issued by the National Green Tribunal concerning the UT of Ladakh.

Under the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) scheme, Dr. Kotwal decided to allocate funds amounting to Rs. 5 Crore for the Tourism Department for the Financial Year 2024-2025, aiming to assist a hundred hotels in installing STPs. The target is to achieve full coverage in Kargil by installing STPs in 29 hotels, while the remaining 71 hotels will be covered in Leh, as decided during the review meeting held on April 4, 2024. Dr. Pawan Kotwal instructed officials to identify suitable lands in Kargil for the installation of STPs to address the gap in Liquid Waste Management.

The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, Ladakh; Member Secretary of LPCC/APCCF, Ladakh; Director of Urban Local Bodies, Ladakh; Deputy Commissioner of Kargil; Director of Health Services, Ladakh; Regional Director of LPCC, UT Ladakh; Senior Scientific Officer, LPCC, UT Ladakh, and concerned officials.