Dump garbage near LG's home: Supreme Court to Delhi government

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi government why garbage should not be dumped in front of the Lieutenant Governor's home instead of in a colony. 

The court had been irked because the government had not asked the residents of Sonia Vihar — where it is planning on building a landfill site — if they were okay with the idea. 

News reports quoted the court as saying not asking the people for their assent was reminiscent of the Emergency when the government did as it wished and people were not asked for their opinion. 

The court added it was certain Sonia Vihar was not a well-to-do colony which is why the government had chosen it for a landfill site. That is when it said the garbage should be dumped in front of the LG's home and not in a residential colony. 

People's lives get affected when garbage is dumped in front of their homes, the court said. 

The reports added that the court also referred to a recent study by Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital which concluded that air pollution, and not smoking, was a major cause of lung cancer in India. 

"Will there be any person alive in Delhi in such a situation?" PTI quoted the court as asking. 

The court said Delhi was facing an "emergency situation" because of the mountains of garbage in the city, and asked the government what it planned to do about the problem. 

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the government, said the government had come up with a plan but that the problem could not be dealt with overnight.