On October 6th 2026 the Srinagar Municipal Corporation -SMC came up with a landmark order wherein home composting was made mandatory for all its Gazetted Officers. I think Srinagar Municipal Corporation is the first municipal institution in India to have issued this kind of an order that will help source segregation of waste which ultimately will reduce the load on Srinagar’s lone landfill site at Achan Syedpora. By asking its officers to process biodegradable waste in compost pits in their homes, the SMC can enforce this in the entire Srinagar city especially in those houses who have ample land to make compost pits. Unfortunately the Commissioner who issued this order got transferred on the very next day in a major reshuffle of IAS officers in J&K. Similarly Mr Athar Aamir Khan-IAS who was posted as Deputy Commissioner Budgam in February 2026 was also transferred just within 8 months of his posting before he could execute the projects he took up in the district. 

Controlling Air Pollution in Budgam Before being posted as DC Budgam, Athar Aamir was DC Kulgam and prior to that he served as Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and CEO Srinagar Smart City Corporation. His role as CEO Smart City is being criticized and that is a separate debate to be discussed, but as DC Budgam I found him accessible to people, listening to their grievances and trying to address them as well. To control air pollution he was the first DC to hold consultation with all stakeholders like govt officers, farmers, NGOs in presence of Chairman J&K Pollution Control Committee Mr Vasu Yadav. Lots of things were discussed for processing dry leaves and making compost and pellets from it so that people don’t burn them. A follow-up meeting with a Farmer Producer Organisation-FPO with 80% women members was to be held at........

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