The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the Municipal Corporation (MC), Ludhiana, over the handling of solid waste in the city, noting that waste management issues remain unresolved at several locations more than three years after its directions.Hearing a case concerning the unscientific dumping of solid waste in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, on October 7, the NGT directed the Deputy Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana, to submit affidavits detailing the status of waste at 23 identified locations and the steps taken to clear it.The Tribunal has sought details of the total quantity of legacy waste lying at dumping sites, the action taken to clear it, the proposed plan and timeline, the availability of funds, and the agency responsible for the work. The officials have also been asked to disclose the city’s daily municipal waste generation, its waste treatment capacity, the actual quantity treated each day and the gap between waste generation and treatment.The affidavits must be filed within six weeks.The case was filed by Kapil Dev, who had earlier highlighted at least 23 locations where solid waste was lying in the open. On May 2, 2023, the NGT constituted a joint committee comprising the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the District Magistrate and the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, to verify the complaints and take remedial action.The Tribunal had directed the authorities to lift waste from the identified locations and transport it to designated processing sites, prevent fresh dumping at unauthorised places and ensure daily waste processing so that no legacy waste remained.However, when the matter came up for hearing in July this year, counsel representing the district administration and the MC could not provide details of the untreated waste or the steps taken to clear it. The Tribunal also noted that the Deputy Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner had not filed their responses despite its directions.Meanwhile, the PPCB informed the Tribunal that it had imposed environmental compensation of around Rs 13.8 crore on the MC for violations of solid waste management rules between July 2020 and December 2025. However, the civic body had deposited only Rs 1.8 crore so far.Taking note of the poor recovery, the Tribunal directed the PPCB to initiate action under the law to recover the outstanding amount so that the funds could be used for specified purposes. The PPCB chairman informed the Tribunal that steps would be taken to issue a revenue recovery certificate against the MC.The PPCB also reported environmental compensation of Rs 1.54 crore for unscientific waste dumping at 16 locations between August 2023 and December 2024, and at 23 locations between December 2024 and October 2025. An additional Rs 40,000 was calculated for eight incidents of waste burning.The Tribunal directed the PPCB to file an affidavit within eight weeks detailing the recovery action initiated, the calculation of environmental compensation for the remaining period, and verification of disclosures made by the district administration and the MC regarding legacy waste and daily waste generation.The matter will next come up for hearing on January 20, 2027.