The Himachal Pradesh high court has asked the state government and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to submit a concrete proposal to remove dumped muck from the Bhakra dam reservoir in Bilaspur. A division bench comprising Chief Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel has also directed the government to ensure that there is no illegal dumping of muck in the reservoir or its feeding nullahs.
The court orders have come on a petition filed by Madan Lal Sharma, the general secretary of Bilaspur-based Fourlane Visthapit and Prabahavit Samiti (FVPS).
The court has made secretary, forests, chief conservator of forests, chief conservator of forests, Bilaspur, divisional forest officer, Bilaspur, assistant director, fisheries, Bilaspur, NHAI project director, deputy commissioner, Bilaspur and Gawar Kiratpur-Nerchowk Highway Private Ltd as respondents in this case. According to the petitioner, illegal muck dumping by the NHAI’s user agency was a threat to the Bhakra dam reservoir, a national heritage, and should be immediately stopped.
On May 22, the court had ordered the NHAI to ensure that there is no illegal dumping of muck in the Bhakra reservoir and its feeding rivulets in Himachal’s Bilaspur district.
As per the petition, along with harming the environment and creating water pollution, muck dumping in the reservoir has also caused a major drop in fish production, thereby affecting the livelihood of thousands of fishermen.
According to the fisheries department figures, annual fish production in Bhakra has come down from 1,492 metric tonnes in 2014 to around 250 metric tonnes in 2022, affecting over 3,000 local families.
The FVPS has been raising the issue of illegal muck-dumping in Bhakra reservoir since 2016, when highway-widening work picked up speed in the district. The court has fixed July 20 as the next date of hearing.