KATHMANDU, April 22: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an interim order against the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) to immediately collect the garbage from Singha Durbar, the principal secretariat of the government.
A single bench of Justice Prakashman Singh Raut on Friday ordered that the garbage of Singha Durbar, President’s Office and prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar should be collected within three days.
Referring to the air pollution in Kathmandu, the order states that not disposing of the waste in places like Singha Durbar will directly affect the health and life of the citizens.
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"The citizen's right to live in a clean and healthy environment is linked to the precious life. As it is directly connected to the life of the citizen, the issue of the environment is considered very sensitive. The state, government, all bodies established according to the constitution and laws must comply with its duties not only in a favorable situation but also in any adverse situation,” reads the order.
The interim order also states that there should be a collective and continued effort of the citizens, including institutional stakeholders to resolve the issue of waste management.
The Solid Waste Management Act, 2068 has given the responsibility to the local level government to manage and make final disposal and management of garbage. It is stated in the order that garbage collection and disposal should not be avoided under any circumstances.
The apex court has drawn the attention of the government bodies concerned to ensure necessary coordination between the Government of Nepal, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in waste management.
Advocate Padam Bahadur Shrestha had earlier filed a writ petition at the apex court against the decision of the KMC not to pick up the waste from Singha Durbar and other principal government offices.
Advocate Shrestha had claimed in the writ petition that the decision of the metropolis violated the right of the citizens to live in a clean environment. After the instructions of Mayor Balen Shah, the garbage has not been removed from Singha Durbar, Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Baluwatar and the Office of President, Shital Niwas.
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