Slow start to lifting of muck dumped along Kiratpur-Manali NH

Kullu: In cleanup mode after the FIRs (first-information reports), the National Highway Authority of India’s contracted companies for the four-laning and widening of the Kiratpur-Manali road have begun their lacklustre efforts of removing the muck they had dumped in Bilaspur district's forest lands along this route.After illegal and unscientific dumping of costruction waste, they are moving this muck from the Mehla village of Naina Devi subdivision to designated dumping sites, yet Madan Lal Sharma, general secretary of Bilaspur-based Fourlane Visthapit and Prabahavit Samiti (FVPS), has reported the operation to be slow and inconsistent. Sharma said: “The company involved worked only for a single day before halting its operations, and removed no muck on Monday. If the forest department and these companies are serious about clearing the damaged areas, they need to act more decisively.”

Last week, the Bilaspur police had registered five cases against three companies over illegal muck dumping dating back to 2012 when these contractors had started with the Kiratpur-Manali project. The forest department, which had reported them, confirmed receiving directives to ensure that the road-construction companies clear the Bilaspur forests of all the muck they had dumped. The FIRs filed at Swarghat police station under sections 15 (penalty for contravention) and 16 (offences by companies) of the Environment Protection Act and section 277 (polluting natural spring or reservoir) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), suggest that these companies filled the forests and nullahs of Gara, Mehla, Dadnal, Jabbal, and Sunan villages with muck.In June, responding to a petition from the FVPS, the Himachal Pradesh high court ordered the local authorities to punish those who had polluted the Bhakra Dam’s reservoir and its tributaries. The high court also mandated the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to take all necessary measures to clear the muck from Govind Sagar lake’s shores, tributaries, forests, and public lands. The petitioner argued that the illegal dumping of muck had not only polluted water sources but also declined fish population, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen.

Police lodge cases against road building firms for dumping muck in forest areas

Bilaspur police have filed cases against companies employed by NHAI for illegal muck-dumping along the Kiratpur-Manali highway, which has polluted the Bhakra dam reservoir. The action follows a complaint by the Bilaspur forest department and a directive from the Punjab and Haryana high court. The environmental impact has affected local fishermen and threatens the reservoir's existence.

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing 18 foot overbridges (FOBs) on the Kiratpur-Manali highway in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur, Mandi, and Kullu districts at a cost of Rs 14.60 crore. This initiative aims to facilitate safe pedestrian crossing and reduce accidents on the busy highway, especially during rush hours.

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