The Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) has slapped a hefty environmental penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the owner of a hotel situated along the Kiratpur-Manali highway in Bilaspur district. The fine was imposed for the illegal and unscientific dumping of muck along the ecologically sensitive banks of the Bhakra dam reservoir.
Inspection Reveals Violation and Environmental Threat
This decisive action came after a team of officials from the pollution control board conducted a site inspection in November. The inspection was prompted by complaints regarding the illegal activity. According to the order issued by Parveen Chander Gupta, the Member Secretary of the HPSPCB, the inspection found that muck was being dumped without any protective measures on a plot adjoining the Chroma hotel in Dharasani village, Jhandutta sub-division.
The hotel owner, Mohinder Singh Chauhan, was developing the plot. However, due to the absence of a protective crate wall, a significant portion of the excavated earth and debris spilled directly into the waters of the Bhakra dam reservoir, posing a serious environmental threat.
Show-Cause Notice Ignored, Leading to Fine
Following the inspection, the HPSPCB issued a show-cause notice to Chauhan on November 20. The notice directed him to immediately remove the spilled muck from the reservoir and to erect necessary protective structures before any further development work. The board gave the hotel management a chance to rectify the violation.
However, the authorities stated that the directions in the notice were not complied with. Due to this failure to take corrective action, the Pollution Control Board proceeded to impose an environmental compensation of Rs 1,00,000 on the violator.
Grassroots Complaint Triggers Action Amid Ongoing Issues
The board's inspection was initiated based on complaints filed by Madan Sharma, the general secretary of the Fourlane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti (FVPS). This Bilaspur-based organization advocates for people displaced by highway projects. Sharma highlighted the persistent problem of authorities turning a blind eye to such violations.
"The authorities take action only when you get after them. Otherwise, they tend to look the other way," Sharma remarked. He also questioned the effectiveness of mere fines, noting, "Imposing a fine is not the solution... The violators, instead of lifting the dumped muck, are more than happy to pay the fine."
This incident is not isolated. The Himachal Pradesh High Court has, in a series of orders last year, strongly criticized the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and state government departments for their failure to curb illegal muck dumping in the Bhakra reservoir and forest areas. The court had explicitly ordered these agencies to prevent dumping and to clear already dumped debris.
In response to the court's directives, the Bilaspur police had registered eight FIRs last year against contractors hired by the NHAI for the highway widening project. Despite these court orders and police cases, the practice of illegal muck dumping along the strategic Kiratpur-Manali highway continues, underscoring a significant enforcement challenge in the region.
