Despite High Court orders, dumping of waste in khuds goes unchecked

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 9

Despite a complete ban imposed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court on the dumping of debris in rivers and rivulets of the state , the practice goes on unchecked in the Mol and Bhiral khuds of Palampur.

No notice issued so far

• After the ban imposed by the High Court, a notification was also issued by the state government and the Pollution Control Board, imposing complete ban on the dumping of debris, muck and other material in the rivers and on roadside
• Besides the water channels, the national and state highways and forestland, have been scarred by the unabated dumping. It has not only caused environmental degradation, but also resulted in extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure
• The Palampur Municipal Corporation, which is the custodian of the two water channels and also responsible for their maintenance, has not served a single notice or initiated action against the defaulters so far

The Bhiral and Mol khuds, which are two tributaries of the Beas passing through Palampur town, are major sources of drinking water in the lower areas of Palampur. In the absence of any check by the authorities concerned, large quantities of construction waste, including debris and muck, is being dumped into the rivers. In revenue records, the width of the two streams is over 20 to 25 m, but in reality these have reduced to just 5 to 7 m.

Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that, after the ban imposed by the High Court, a notification was also issued by the state government and the Pollution Control Board, imposing complete ban on the dumping of debris, muck and other material into the rivers and on roadside.

Besides the water channels, national and state highways and forestland, have been scarred by the unabated dumping. It has not only caused environmental degradation, but also resulted in extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure.

“The High Court has specifically stated in its order that no one should be allowed to dump garbage, debris and muck in the water channels, rivers and khuds. The debris obstructs the natural flow of water and causes flash floods, besides environmental degradation in the state,” said a local environmentalist and convener of NGO People’s Voice, KB Ralhan.

Unfortunately, the authorities concerned have become a mute spectator to the violation of the High Court and government orders. Even the road width in many areas has been reduced in recent times due to the dumping of debris, which also obstructs the normal flow of traffic, leading to traffic congestions.

Besides Mol and Bhiral khuds, tonnes of debris and other waste can be seen dumped along the highway in the Sungal area situated on Palampur-Baijnath highway. Though the government has given the power to the PWD Executive Engineers, Directors of the NHAI, SDMs and Tehsildars to keep a check on the illegal dumping, the situation has hardly changed on the ground.

The Palampur Municipal Corporation, which is the custodian of the two water channels and also responsible for their maintenance, has not served a single notice or initiated action against the defaulters so far.