Kerala Dissolves Waste Management Oversight Committee Amid Institutional Reforms

In a significant move, the Kerala government has announced the dissolution of the State-Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on solid waste management. The SLMC was set up in 2019 as per the directive of the National Green Tribunal to oversee the implementation of the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

The committee, headed by former Kerala High Court judge A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai, had been actively monitoring the state's solid waste management scenario and highlighting gaps in the system. However, the government has now decided to dismantle the SLMC, citing the establishment of comprehensive institutional mechanisms to handle these responsibilities.

According to a report filed by the Department of Environment, the government has undertaken significant reforms and capacity-building measures in environmental governance and solid waste management over the past few years. This has resulted in the creation of robust and effective institutional frameworks, including a high-level committee chaired by the Chief Secretary, the State-Level Empowered Committee, and the roles performed by agencies like the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the Suchitwa Mission.

Given the maturity and routine functioning of these existing mechanisms, the government has deemed the continuation of the SLMC as redundant, as it may lead to duplication of efforts and administrative inefficiency. This decision is seen as a step towards streamlining the state's environmental governance and strengthening accountability within the existing statutory and policy frameworks.