NGT Flags Himachal Hill-Cutting Amid Clearance Doubts

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is scrutinizing alleged large-scale hill-cutting in Himachal Pradesh's Una district, ordering the forest and environment departments to be involved. Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi highlighted discrepancies in submitted environmental clearance documents, prompting the inclusion of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and forest officials as respondents. These parties must submit their responses within a month.

The NGT observed that an environmental clearance document from the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board stated zero non-forest land while leaving the forest land column blank, despite a total project area of 2.0221 hectares. This, along with references to a forest department no-objection certificate, necessitates further investigation.

A local resident, Gaurav Kumar, filed a complaint last September regarding extensive illegal hill-cutting near Mandwara village, causing dust, noise, and potential threats to local resources. The state government defended the mining lease, asserting that it was granted after due inspections and clearances, with approved mining plans in place for up to 15 years.

A joint inspection by pollution control and mining officials on April 25, 2026, found the hill-cutting work to be proceeding under an approved plan, with no evidence of illegal mining, water pollution, or significant air pollution observed. The next hearing is scheduled for August 18, 2026.