<p>Bengaluru: Is garbage, especially the plastic menace, threatening air and water resources in your area? Escalate your complaint directly to the deputy commissioner, who has now been empowered to act against polluters.</p>.<p>Till now, gram panchayats and urban local bodies were handling the implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, which came into force in 2016.</p>.<p>Following a direction by the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has delegated vast powers to deputy commissioners/district collectors (DCs) across the country for the next one year.</p>.<p>Besides blackspots and dump yards, focus will be on tourism hotspots and pilgrim centres where the Supreme Court has asked for a “special mechanism” to implement the rules.</p>.<p>Bulk waste generators which fail to follow the rules will face strict action.</p>.Supreme Court flags uneven compliance with Solid Waste Management Rules, issues pan-India directions.<p>The powers under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act include power to direct closure, prohibition or regulation of any industry, operation or process; stoppage or regulation electricity or water supply or any other service to entities violating the rules.</p>.<p>The May 18 notification refers to the Supreme Court order that had given a detailed direction to the Centre and the states.</p>.<p>“The directions, if any, issued by the DCs under the delegated authority are understood as directives issued in furtherance of the orders of this court,” a bench of justices Pankaj Mithal and S V N Bhatti said. </p><p>Accordingly, the DCs have been told to constitute a special cell dedicated to implement the 2026 version of the SWM rules within their jurisdictions. The regional officers of the respective pollution control boards/committees will be part of the cell and conduct field inspections to check for violations.</p>.<p>“The DCs are directed to conduct virtual spot inspections of the dumping sites, implement the rules, and fortnightly prepare and forward the report to the designated secretaries in the respective states,” the court has said, directing states to incentivise good performance.</p>.<p>The ministry’s notification, however, noted that the Centre may revoke the delegation of powers “if such a course of action is necessary in public interest”.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Is garbage, especially the plastic menace, threatening air and water resources in your area? Escalate your complaint directly to the deputy commissioner, who has now been empowered to act against polluters.</p>.<p>Till now, gram panchayats and urban local bodies were handling the implementation of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, which came into force in 2016.</p>.<p>Following a direction by the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has delegated vast powers to deputy commissioners/district collectors (DCs) across the country for the next one year.</p>.<p>Besides blackspots and dump yards, focus will be on tourism hotspots and pilgrim centres where the Supreme Court has asked for a “special mechanism” to implement the rules.</p>.<p>Bulk waste generators which fail to follow the rules will face strict action.</p>.Supreme Court flags uneven compliance with Solid Waste Management Rules, issues pan-India directions.<p>The powers under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act include power to direct closure, prohibition or regulation of any industry, operation or process; stoppage or regulation electricity or water supply or any other service to entities violating the rules.</p>.<p>The May 18 notification refers to the Supreme Court order that had given a detailed direction to the Centre and the states.</p>.<p>“The directions, if any, issued by the DCs under the delegated authority are understood as directives issued in furtherance of the orders of this court,” a bench of justices Pankaj Mithal and S V N Bhatti said. </p><p>Accordingly, the DCs have been told to constitute a special cell dedicated to implement the 2026 version of the SWM rules within their jurisdictions. The regional officers of the respective pollution control boards/committees will be part of the cell and conduct field inspections to check for violations.</p>.<p>“The DCs are directed to conduct virtual spot inspections of the dumping sites, implement the rules, and fortnightly prepare and forward the report to the designated secretaries in the respective states,” the court has said, directing states to incentivise good performance.</p>.<p>The ministry’s notification, however, noted that the Centre may revoke the delegation of powers “if such a course of action is necessary in public interest”.</p>