Preparation to challenge in court against the sewerage treatment plant proposed by the Municipal Corporation in Bharyal
Legal consultation was organized under the chairmanship of Uttam Singh Kashyap, Panchayat Pradhan and Chairman of Revenue Village Bharyal Forest Rights Committee, on Sunday, for legal consultation against the proposed installation of the sewerage treatment plant in village Bharyal of Gram Panchayat Tutu-Majthai by Municipal Corporation Shimla. A five-member committee was formed in the meeting. Panchayat head Uttam Singh Kashyap was made the chairman of the committee, Deputy head Keshapa Ram was made the secretary, Ghanshyam Sharma was made the treasurer and Om Prakash and Santosh Kumar was made members. Panchayat Pradhan said that the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India had approved in February 2010 the landfill site associated with the garbage plant on 130 bighas of forest land as per the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2000, which was transferred for some other purpose. It couldn’t be done. But Shimla Municipal Corporation arbitrarily ignored the law and instead of making a landfill site, the identified 130 bigha land was transferred to a sewerage treatment plant.
Uttam Kashyap further said that the Panchayat had also filed a petition in the National Green Tribune and the Supreme Court against the garbage plant set up in 2010. However, the above court rejected the petition based on a false statement from Shimla Municipal Corporation that the garbage plant under construction would have ultra-modern technology and would be pollution-free. The actual situation on the spot today is that lakhs of tonnes of solid waste is lying in the open, due to its foul smell, it has become difficult to pass through Tutu-Taradevi Road and the surrounding areas.
Uttam Kashyap said that due to not building the landfill site associated with the garbage plant and now installing the proposed sewerage treatment plant, not only the Panchayat area but many Panchayat areas up to Gambhar Khad of Solan district will be adversely affected by polluted water and air. He further informed that more than four thousand trees were cut from the 130 bigha forest land transferred to the landfill site 14 years ago. However, due to the non-construction of the landfill site, there was no justification for cutting these trees. In these 14 years, thousands of saplings have grown in the identified land, which can no longer be cut again to set up a sewerage treatment plant.
Uttam Kashyap said that soon after consulting legal advice, a petition will be filed in the court against the dictatorial decision of Municipal Corporation Shimla.
