Bharyal STP: Chances of Legal battle brew between Totu Panchayat and MC Shimla

Bharyal STP: Chances of Legal battle brew between Totu Panchayat and MC Shimla

Shimla, Jan 23,

The brewing conflict over the establishment of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP) in the Gambarkhud catchment area has escalated, with a legal battle looming between Shimla Municipal Corporation and Gram Panchayat Totu-Majthai. Uttam Singh Kashyap, the Pradhan and Chairman of the Revenue Village Bharyal Forest Rights Committee, shed light on the intricacies of the dispute.

According to Kashyap, a five-member committee has been formed to initiate legal proceedings after obtaining legal opinions on the matter. This decision was reached during a Gram Sabha meeting of Gram Panchayat Totu-Majthai, where concerns were raised about the dictatorial decision-making process of the Municipal Corporation Shimla.

The committee, chaired by Panchayat Pradhan Uttam Singh Kashyap, includes Deputy Head Keshapa Ram as the secretary, Ghanshyam Sharma as the treasurer, and members Om Prakash and Santosh Kumar. Their mandate is to seek legal advice and file a petition in court against what they perceive as an arbitrary decision by the Municipal Corporation Shimla.

The dispute revolves around the proposed STP in the village of Bharyal, which, according to Kashyap, was undertaken by the Shimla MC, state government, and union government without consulting the Gram Sabha. He highlighted that the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India had approved a landfill site associated with a garbage plant on forest land, which was later transferred for a different purpose.

Kashyap contended that converting the landfill site into an STP would have detrimental effects on the catchment area of Gambarkhud, a tributary of the Satluj. He accused the authorities of concealing facts and not seeking consent from the Union government before changing the purpose of the land.

The Panchayat Pradhan emphasized that despite the Gram Panchayat’s written protest, the Shimla Municipal Corporation proceeded to acquire 130 bighas of common land for the proposed STP. He argued that the decision to set up solid waste treatment plants 14 years ago, including the landfill site, was a monumental blunder, leading to pollution of protected forest areas and open dumping of garbage and plastic.

Furthermore, Kashyap highlighted the Panchayat’s previous petitions in the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court against the garbage plant, which were dismissed based on false assurances of modern technology and pollution-free operations. The current situation, he pointed out, is alarming, with large amounts of solid waste causing foul smells and difficulties for residents in Tutu-Taradevi Road and surrounding areas.

Adding an environmental perspective, Kashyap warned that if the proposed STP proceeds, not only the Panchayat area but also surrounding areas up to Gambhar Khad in Solan district would be adversely affected by polluted water and air. He underscored the environmental impact of cutting over four thousand trees from the forest land, initially transferred for the landfill site, without constructing it, and the subsequent need to preserve the land for thousands of saplings that have grown over the years.

In a recent development, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has given approval to convert the landfill site into an STP, further complicating the ongoing dispute.