Solid waste being dumped in forest area on Khaniara road

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 23

Debris generated from construction sites is being dumped along the green cover on the Khaniara road near Dharamsala turning the eco-sensitive zone into a landfill site.

People are filling debris in cement bags and dumping it in pine forests along the Khaniara road. The bags are carried in trucks on the 2-km road stretch between Dharamsala and Khaniara and dumped along the hillside. When asked, they say they have been directed by contractors to dump the material there. Experts are of the view that construction waste has the tendency to settle down. If it does, fresh undergrowth in the forest area cannot survive. It will scar the natural beauty and damage the ecology of the area.

As per rules, it is the duty of the local municipal council and the district administration to check dumping of solid waste in the area. A solid waste dumping site has also been set up in Dharamsala following the Supreme Court directions. As per the directions, the solid waste generated out of the building should be used as filler in low-lying areas where construction is to take place. Sources say there is lack of management to check the menace. Those carrying out construction work should be forced to dump debris at designated places, they said. Inquiries revealed that not even a single case has been registered against persons dumping debris in the hills to date.