Ask 13 Himalayan states to file plan on 'carrying capacity', Centre urges Supreme Court

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, September 4

The Centre on Monday urged the Supreme Court to direct all 13 Himalayan states/UTs to spell out steps taken and an action plan, in a time-bound manner, for initiating a plan regarding the carrying capacity assessment as per the guidelines prepared by GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment.

What’s carrying capacity

The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that a region can sustain without degrading the ecosystem.

The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that a region can sustain without degrading the ecosystem.

The issue assumes importance in view of recent landslides in HP and Uttarakhand in which hundreds died and scores went missing.

“It will be imperative that factual aspects of each hill station are specifically identified and collected with the help of the local authorities,” the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in an affidavit filed in the apex court.

The ministry suggested that the “carrying capacity studies thus prepared by the 13 Himalayan states may be examined by a technical committee headed by the Director, GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment”.

The institute has been involved in conducting similar “studies for Mussoorie, Manali and McLeodganj,” arising out of cases pending in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it pointed out.

The ministry said directors or nominees of National Institute of Disaster Management, Bhopal; National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee; Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun; National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur; Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun; Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun; Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; and School of Planning and Architecture should be on the technical committee.

Representatives of state disaster management authorities; Geological Survey of India, Survey of India and member secretaries or nominee of Central Pollution Control Board and Central Ground Water Board should also be its members, the ministry suggested.

The affidavit has been filed in response to an oral direction by a Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud which had on August 21 asked the Centre to suggest a way forward for the top court to pass directions with regard to the carrying capacity of Himalayan states and towns.

As Shimla and Joshimath face landslides and subsidence, the Supreme Court had on August 21 hinted at setting up an expert panel to assess the carrying capacity and master plans of the Indian Himalayan region across 13 states and UTs.

Terming the issue as “important”, the Bench, which had issued a notice to the government on February 17 on a PIL filed by Ashok Kumar Raghav, had on August 21 said it intended to ask three expert institutions to name one nominee each for the purpose.

Seeking a direction from the top court to determine the carrying capacity of all ecologically fragile areas, hill stations, high-altitude areas and tourism destinations in the Himalayan region, Raghav urged the top court to direct the government to take steps to assess the carrying capacity and master plans prepared for the Indian Himalayan region.

Now, the Centre has requested the court to direct all 13 Himalayan states to set up a committee headed by the Chief Secretary of the respective state and comprising such members as deemed appropriate by the Chief Secretary for carrying out a multi-disciplinary study in a time-bound manner as per the guidelines of the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment.

The guidelines had been circulated to all 13 Himalayan states on January 30, 2020, and a reminder was also sent to them on May 19, 2023 “to request the states that if such study has not been undertaken then the states may kindly submit the action plan so that carrying capacity (assessment) can be carried out as early as possible,” the affidavit said.

Environment ministry files affidavit

• The Ministry of Environment filed an affidavit in response to the direction by the CJI-led Bench
• The SC had asked the Centre to suggest way to pass directions with regard to carrying capacity of Himalayan states and towns

SC hinted at setting up expert panel

• As Shimla and Joshimath face landslides and subsidence, the Supreme Court had on August 21 hinted at setting up an expert panel
• It was aimed at assessing carrying capacity and master plans of Indian Himalayan region

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