Overview
- The court directed the Environment Ministry to delegate enforcement powers for one year to District Collectors under the Environment (Protection) Act to implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
- Chief secretaries must set up dedicated mechanisms for strict compliance at tourist destinations, beaches, and pilgrim centres to protect public health and India’s image.
- District Collectors must form special cells, run virtual inspections of dumping sites, file reports every two weeks, and can cut water and power to bulk waste violators.
- State governments must tie funding to performance by prioritising grants for compliant urban and rural bodies and penalising those that fail to follow the rules.
- The court told the Centre to address budget and staffing shortfalls and to explore Corporate Social Responsibility funding for waste-to-energy projects such as compressed biogas, with progress to be reviewed later this month.