Shimla’s carrying capacity: Experts to submit report by April 28

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 19

Experts from various fields, who are members of the committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to assess the carrying capacity of Shimla Hills and 17 green belts, will be visiting the state capital during the next few days to compile a fresh report to be submitted by April 28.

Following the direction of the NGT to the expert body to prepare the report within two months from the date of the last hearing on February 28, the meeting of the expert committee chaired by Shashi Shekhar was held in New Delhi on February 14. “The strategy has been chalked out to prepare the report as per the NGT directives and the experts from various fields will be visiting Shimla within the next few days,” said Tarun Kapoor, Additional Chief Secretary, Forests and Environment.

The NGT in its last order on February 28 in the petition filed by Yogendra Mohan Sengupta against opening of construction activity in the 17 green belts of Shimla, had nominated Shashi Shekhar, former Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, to the committee and made him the chairman in place of Tarun Kapoor, Additional Chief Secretary (Forests and Environment) who has been made the nodal officer. The information and data sought by Shashi Shekhar and other experts is being compiled by the Town and Country Planning and Forest Departments. Following the NGT’s displeasure at the manner in which the earlier report was prepared and not signed by the experts on the panel individually, the committee sought another chance to submit a complete report after carrying further study. They had pleaded that they would make unambiguous recommendations with definite reasoning in compliance of the NGT orders to ensure that the queries are comprehensively answered.

The members admitted that there were reports to suggest that 87 per cent of the area in Shimla falls in landslide-prone zone. They also pointed out that indiscriminate regularisation of unauthorised constructions could have serious impacts in the entire region of Shimla. Another observation made by the committee before the NGT was that the absence of a master plan for Shimla is one of the root causes for indiscriminate constructions, even in sensitive areas. The NGT has directed that the minutes of all meetings duly signed by all members should be submitted to it along with the final report. The NGT felt that the committee constituted in 2015 had taken undue time to submit the report.