New Delhi, May 2 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo motu cognisance of the unscientific dumping of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the establishment of a waste management plant in a wetland and grazing area in Central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. The area also served as a seasonal playground for local youth.

The issue came to light after Nighat Mir, a resident of Srinagar, alerted the NGT in December 2024. Mir, who owned a small piece of agricultural land near the site in Tulmulla village, alleged that the dumping was affecting her land.

Her letter dated December 22, 2024 was treated as a petition by the three-member principal bench of the NGT, comprising judicial members Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi...