Shimla, May 28,
Amid rising environmental concerns in the Seraj region of Himachal Pradesh, civil society groups and concerned citizens have submitted a memorandum to the Hon’ble Chief Minister during his camp at Sairopa, Banjar, demanding urgent and comprehensive measures for solid waste management in the rural belts of Tirthan, Jibhi, Sainj, Balichowki, and Nagar Panchayat Banjar.
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The memorandum, signed and submitted by Guman Singh, Coordinator of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, highlights the rapidly growing issue of mismanaged waste in the region. With tourism and infrastructure development expanding, the area is witnessing an alarming increase in non-biodegradable solid waste generation. In the absence of an organized system for waste collection, segregation, and disposal, the waste is increasingly contaminating water sources, polluting soil, and posing a threat to both residents and tourists.
The citizens’ appeal stresses the complete absence of any waste processing facility in the Seraj region and calls for the immediate establishment of a centralized solid waste management plant. It further points to the ongoing challenges in identifying and acquiring land for such infrastructure, even in semi-urban areas like Nagar Panchayat Banjar, and urges the government to intervene directly in resolving the issue.
The memorandum underlines the need for public education and structural support for source-level waste segregation, without which even the most advanced processing systems would be rendered ineffective. Emphasizing sustainable funding, the signatories urge the government to coordinate various departments to ensure both financial and technical support.
In a proposed solution suited to the rural landscape, the group advocates for leveraging MGNREGA to facilitate door-to-door collection and to construct compost pits for biodegradable waste at the village level. Additionally, a valley-wide, regular waste collection system is sought to cover key hotspots like Jalori, Bathad, Sainj, and the Mandi Seraj valley up to Larji, with all collected waste being directed to the proposed central facility.
The memorandum also draws attention to the breakdown of earlier public-private collaborations, particularly arrangements with cement plants that had been disposing of non-recyclable plastic through kiln co-processing. Civil society groups have urged the government to revive such partnerships at the earliest.
Recognizing the importance of community involvement, the group recommends a widespread awareness campaign involving Panchayati Raj Institutions, urban local bodies, NGOs, and other civil society organizations to spread the message of responsible waste handling. They also recommend regulatory mechanisms and accountability measures to enforce proper waste management, albeit only after adequate infrastructure and systems are established.
In closing, the signatories emphasize that waste management is no longer just an urban concern. Remote regions like Seraj are suffering the consequences of neglect and now require equal, if not greater, attention. They call upon the government to adopt a holistic, valley-wide approach to solid waste management, one that ensures the ecological integrity, public health, and long-term viability of tourism and livelihoods across Himachal Pradesh.
