Punjab & Haryana High Court Appoints Commissioner to Inspect Dadumajra Dump, Verify MC Claims The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the appointment of a local commissioner to conduct an inspection of the Dadumajra dumping ground and verify the claims made by the Municipal Corporation (MC) of Chandigarh regarding waste clearance from the site. The order came during the hearing of petitions challenging the management of the garbage dump, which has been a subject of legal scrutiny since 2017. Petitioners, represented by Advocate Amit Sharma, alleged that the civic body had repeatedly misled the court through “false, fabricated, and misleading” affidavits and incorrect statements about waste processing and site conditions. Senior Advocate Gaurav Mohunta, appearing for the MC, stated that the corporation had deployed approximately 550 workers, along with vehicles and JCB machines, to remove non-biodegradable waste from the site. He further claimed that nearly five to seven acres had already been cleared, with about half an acre being addressed daily. The corporation also presented a future utilization plan for the site, including the construction of a compressed biogas plant in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Limited, a sanitary landfill area, segregation facilities, and plantation efforts covering 33% of the land. Despite these submissions, the court expressed concerns about the long-term viability of continuing waste-processing activities near a densely populated residential area. Chief Justice of the court remarked, “Population has now come there,” and emphasized the need to convert the site into a green patch with tree plantation.#indian_oil_corporation #chandigarh #punjab_haryana_high_court #dadumajra_dump #municipal_corporation_chandigarh
Merit Must Prevail For Department Allocation In Combined Recruitment: Punjab & Haryana High Court The Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that department allocation in combined recruitment processes must prioritize inter se merit, ensuring that higher-ranked candidates are not disadvantaged by arbitrary or undisclosed criteria. The court emphasized that deviations from merit-based allocation violate constitutional principles of equality and fairness under Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution. The ruling followed a batch of writ petitions challenging the allocation of departments to Junior Engineers (Civil) by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission. Petitioners argued that candidates with higher marks were denied preferred postings, while lower-ranked individuals secured more desirable departments based on an internal, undisclosed criterion. The court acknowledged that such practices undermine the integrity of competitive selection processes and create unequal treatment among similarly situated candidates. The court underscored that merit-based allocation is not merely an administrative practice but a constitutional mandate. It clarified that the principle of merit must extend beyond the preparation of a merit list to the actual distribution of departments. The court noted that the current allocation mechanism allowed candidates with lower merit to secure more preferred postings, thereby defeating the purpose of a fair and transparent recruitment system. The ruling highlighted the importance of transparency and fairness in public employment, stating that state actions must adhere to constitutional provisions and statutory rules.#punjab_haryana_high_court #haryana_staff_selection_commission #aman_duddi #junior_engineers_civil #combined_recruitment_process
