Himachal floats tender for waste management plant as Kasol faces garbage crisis
The Himachal Pradesh government has floated a tender for construction of the long-delayed solid waste management plant at Kasol after an India Today investigation revealed how waste was being hastily buried in pits inside the forest. The tender, of Rs 30 lakh, has been floated by the rural development department, which has set a two-month deadline for the completion of the project.advertisementThe move came as videos went viral on social media showing a mountain of garbage and plastic bags dumped in a forest in Kasol, a popular tourist hub nestled in the picturesque Parvati Valley. It triggered widespread outrage on social media. The Kullu deputy commissioner said the site where the video was shot was not an official dumping site. The state pollution control board has issued a notice to the vendor and will also impose a fine for dumping garbage at an unauthorised location.
Waste was also found to be dumped at another location without informing the rural development department. The deputy commissioner said the Special Area Development Authority (SADA) could also be fined for the lapse.The official stressed that cleanup operations were now underway on a war footing. However, the official said it would take a few months to streamline solid waste management operations.advertisementThe incidents, within a demarcated wildlife sanctuary zone, have exposed serious violations by local authorities of the terms of land clearance.The government had granted approval (stage 1) for diverting 0.1982 hectares of forest land for setting up a solid waste management plant at Kasol under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. It came with stringent conditions.Among the key pre-conditions were the payment of Compensatory Afforestation (CA) and Net Present Value (NPV) charges, submission of a Forest Rights Act (FRA) certificate from the district collector, and an undertaking that no other approved proposal in the division was pending for compliance.Post-approval conditions include no change to the legal status of forest land, restrictions on tree felling, protection of wildlife, establishment of a green belt, onsite waste treatment, prohibition of labour camps, etc.Trending Reel
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