E-Paper
Contamination of water: High court serves notice on HP chief secy
A division bench of HP high court passed these orders on a petition taken up suo motu as a PIL on a letter written to the chief justice by one Joginder Singh of Majra village of Solan district
The Himachal Pradesh high court on Monday issued notices to state chief secretary, member secretary, state environment protection and pollution control board and Solan DC in a matter pertaining to the contamination of water of wells and borewells of the surrounding areas due to chemical waste of Shivalik Solid Waste Management Plant set up Majra village in Nalagarh.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed these orders on a petition taken up suo motu as a PIL on a letter written to the chief justice by one Joginder Singh of Majra village that falls under the Solan district. The petitioner has said that Shivalik Solid Waste Management Plant was set up 15 years ago after obtaining NOC from the panchayat by misleading it that an environment project was going to the set up there.
“But later, when the waste management plant was built, villagers came to know that hazardous chemical and solid toxic waste of different factories of Himachal Pradesh was to be brought to this plant and responsibility for treating this solid waste has been entrusted to the unit. For the last 15 years, the solid waste is being dumped on the ground by the aforesaid plant by covering it with soil, without proper treatment,” he added.
With passage of time, the water of natural sources, wells and bore-wells of Majra and the surrounding villages has become poisonous due to seepage of chemically contaminated water from this plant into the ground and resultantly foul smell is coming from the water, he said.
He has alleged that villagers made many complaints to the pollution control board as well as various other higher authorities but till date, no action has been taken against the solid waste company. He has alleged that due to this poisonous water, their cattle have died and even the villagers have contracted many serious diseases.
He has prayed that necessary directions for taking stringent action against the Shivalik Solid Waste Management may be issued so that they could be saved from the hazardous effects of contaminated water and people may not face any health-related issues.
The court has posted the matter after two weeks and also directed the respondents to file their replies by the next date.
