Illegal muck dumping: FIRs against 8 firms in Bilaspur

Kullu: The forest department has informed the Himachal Pradesh high court that eight police cases have been registered against road infrastructure development companies for dumping muck unscientifically and illegally near Bhakra dam reservoir along the Kiratpur-Manali highway in Bilaspur district.In a report submitted to the Himachal Pradesh advocate general, Bilaspur divisional forest officer (DFO) stated that while five cases had been registered at the Swarghat police station, three more FIRs have been filed at the Bilaspur police station.The companies that have been named in the FIRs include Gawar Construction Ltd, Kiratpur Nerchowk Expressway Ltd (KNCEL), Highway Engineer, Total Logistics and Engineer Associates.The police cases have been registered under Sections 15 (penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Act) and 16 (environmental offences committed by companies) of the Environment Protection Act and for polluting public spring or reservoir under the BNS, on complaints filed by the Bilaspur forest department.As per the FIRs, the companies, hired by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for the four-laning works, dumped muck in the forest lands and nullahs near Patta, Dhalyar, Tunu in the Bilaspur sub-division and Gara, Mehla, Dadnal, Jabbal and Sunan villages of the Naina Devi sub-division in Bilaspur district. The Forest department has alleged that muck-dumping was being carried out since 2012 when the work on widening of the Kiratpur-Manali highway had begun.The police cases follow the Himachal Pradesh high court order issued in June, directing the Bilaspur superintendent of police and the deputy commissioner to initiate penal action against all the violators found dumping muck in the Bhakra dam reservoir.The high court had also directed the Himachal Pradesh chief secretary to personally monitor the implementation of its order.The court orders had come on a petition filed by Madan Sharma, general secretary of the Bilaspur-based Fourlane Visthapit and Prabahavit Samiti (FVPS) – an organisation that has been working for the welfare of the people displaced by the highway projects.According to the petition, filed last year, illegal muck-dumping is a threat to the existence of Bhakra dam reservoir, a national heritage, and it should be stopped immediately.In July, the high court had also imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on the forest department for “trying to protect the guilty and failing to initiate prosecution against violators involved in illegal muck-dumping in the forests and along the Kiratpur-Manali national highway”. In its report, submitted to the advocate general, the forest department has also stated that it had deposited the amount of Rs 50,000 with the high court.
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