Team visits Manikaran on NGT orders

Our Correspondent

KULLU, FEBRUARY 11

To ensure compliance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders to provide a complete and comprehensive plan of prevention and control of pollution of environment and damage to ecology owing to tourism in the area leading from Bhuntar to Manikaran, a team constituted by the NGT visited Manikaran today.

Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar confirmed that senior officials of the Pollution Control Board (PCB), Environment, Science and Technology Department, Public Works Department (PWD) and various other departments, along with other administrative officials, accompanied the team.

The DC said observations and suggestions would be submitted in a report to the NGT. Representatives of Kasol, Manikaran and Barshaini panchayats of the Parbati valley assisted the team to find measures for protecting the environment. A site for developing a plant for solid waste management was selected and options to set up sewerage treatment plants in the area were worked out, he said.

He said villagers were willing to utilise funds accumulated under the Local Area Development Authority for the development of the area. Various notices had been served on some institutions functional in the valley and even hefty fines had been imposed upon the violators found polluting the environment, the DC said.