NOIDA: The Noida Authority’s recent decision to issue notices to group housing societies generating over 100 kg of waste daily, but lacking on-site waste treatment plants (WTPs), has sparked considerable discontent among apartment owners’ associations (AOAs). This move comes as parking and play areas are already a squeeze in many of these high-rise complexes.
Under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2016, waste treatment plants are mandatory for group housing societies built on plots spanning 5,000 sqm or more. Earlier this month, the Authority began issuing notices to societies that continued to dump waste in the open, demanding they formulate a waste management plan or face penalties, including the recovery of disposal costs. In April, Noida CEO Lokesh M had also warned of deregistering AOAs of societies found violating environmental norms.
AOA representatives and high-rise society federations have labeled the order as “autocratic,” arguing that it fails to consider that most group housing societies, particularly those in the newer 7x to 10x sectors, were built or had their building plans approved by the Noida Authority before 2016. At that time, designated space for holding and processing large quantities of waste within the compound was not a standard requirement.
Rajiva Singh, president of the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA), which represents over 80 high-rise societies, voiced a common concern: “Asking group housing societies to build infrastructure for WTPs overnight is problematic. Societies are already fighting for space for parking and even play areas for children within the complex. Where is the space for a waste treatment plant or process?”
Some critics also accuse the Authority of attempting to shift the burden of waste treatment onto group housing societies, rather than addressing the city’s frequent sanitation worker strikes.
Nikhil Singhal, president of the Noida Highrise Federation (NHRF) for 100X sectors, condemned the decision as “hasty,” emphasizing that it was made without consulting AOAs or residents’ federations. “Most NHRF societies lack space for setting up WTPs as these were not a part of the original building plan drawn up by the developer and approved by the Authority,” Singhal stated.
Ashutosh Rai, AOA secretary of Gaur Grandeur Apartments in Sector 119, which received a notice on Monday, expressed frustration: “Noida Authority’s notice stated that we need to start processing our waste within the society. This is a one-sided communication with no formal platform for an open discussion.”
While Gaur Grandeur is still seeking a resolution, some societies facing FIRs for allegedly discharging untreated sewage into stormwater drains have opted for legal recourse. RG Residency, one of seven societies against whom FIRs were registered in April, successfully challenged the action and obtained a stay from the Allahabad High Court. This stay restrains the Noida Authority from taking coercive action against the Sector 120 society “till the next date of listing” in July.
Besides RG Residency, FIRs were filed against Sikka Karmik (Sector 78), Lotus Boulevard (Sector 100), Purvanchal Royal Park (Sector 137), Aims Max Gardenia (Sector 75), Prateek Stylome (Sector 45), and Amrapali Silicon City (Sector 76) for allegedly operating without functional STPs.
According to Rajiva Singh, NOFAA had previously proposed a cluster-based approach for solid waste management, where a few high-rise societies in a sector could collaborate to establish a WTP. “Our proposal was approved by the previous CEO some three years back. Also, land was allotted to the Federation by the Noida Authority to make this cluster approach possible through a people-private-administration partnership. But nothing has moved since then,” Singh claimed, highlighting the stalled progress on a potential solution.
