NHAI, construction firm booked for dumping debris in lake

An FIR was registered against officials of the NHAI and construction company that constructed the Bilaspur section of the Kiratpur- Manali four lane on the complaint made by the Forest Department at Swarghat Police Station under section 227 of the IPC yesterday. It was alleged in the complaint that muck generated by hill cutting was dumped into the Govind Sagar lake.

It is learnt that the issue was raised by members of Four Lane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti, an organisation working to protect the rights of people displaced due to construction of the highway. The NGO had lodged this complaint with the district administration and the matter was taken up by the Forest Department.

It is also learnt that another FIR would also be registered in Bilaspur Sadar police station in the matter.

It was alleged that the construction firm and the officials of the NHAI and the construction company continued to dump the debris and muck extracted from the hill cutting at places that was convenient to them instead of at the identified locations. The waste material was dumped into the Govind Sagar lake leading to water pollution and serious environment issues in the area.

It was also alleged in the complaint that due to muck dumping, the production of fish was reduced which adversely affected the economy of thousands of fishermen dependent on fishing.

Taking action on the illegal dumping of the muck, the Forest Department had imposed penalty on the construction firm and matter was closed.

Later, Madan Sharma filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the erring firm and the NHAI. It was only after the intervention of the HC that police and the state government moved to file an FIR in the matter. It is learnt that the HC had asked the Chief Secretary of the state why state was just collecting fine and not prosecuting the people dumping muck in the dam.

Rajiv Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer, at Bilaspur said that the Forest Department had imposed damages/charges on the four-lane construction company of about Rs 10 lakh. He added that the FIR in the case was filed on the direction of the HC.

Sandeep Dhawan, Superintendent of Police, at Bilaspur said that an FIR was registered in Swarghat Police Station while another would be filed at Sadar police station on the complaint of forest officials. He added that action would be initiated against the officers of the construction company and the NHAI who were posted here during the construction of the four-lane road and when muck was illegally dumped at unspecified locations.