In a public interest litigation filed regarding dumping of muck from construction of 40 kilometre long motor road to Marchula-Bhikiyasain in the Ramganga river, the high court of Uttarakhand has sought answers from the State government on various aspects.
The division bench of the high court has asked the state government to report on how much of the road has been constructed, whether the company constructing the road is dumping muck in the designated zone or in the river and how much payment has been made to the company in question.
Haldwani resident activist Gurvinder Chaddha had filed the PIL stating that work on the 40 kilometre motor road to Marchula- Bhikiyasain is underway. He contended that in connivance with the Public Works Department, the company executing the work had been dumping muck generated from the construction work in the Ramganga river. Though eight dumping zones had been declared before start of the work, the company is not using these and dumping the debris in the river. The Ramganga river is the main source of water in the Corbett national park. The petitioner had further contended that the illegal dumping of muck in the river had affected its course. This had not only affected the lives of aquatic fauna in the river but was also creating water availability problem for the animals and people living around Corbett.