NGT Orders Halt to Construction in Kullu's Nehru Park

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a decisive order halting all construction and land-use changes for a proposed Material Recovery Facility (MRF) within Nehru Park, a public space in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The Kullu administration received the directive to immediately cease all such activities.

Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi stressed that "parks and green belts in urban areas act as the lungs of cities and cannot be encroached upon or subjected to construction activity." Consequently, the NGT has ordered the formation of a joint committee to investigate the matter. This committee, comprising members from the Central Pollution Control Board, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, and the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, is tasked with inspecting the site and submitting a report within one month.

The NGT's intervention followed a petition highlighting how Nehru Park was gradually converted into a dumping ground by the Kullu municipal council, with parts of the public space used for storing materials and parking unused mobile toilets. A tender for constructing a shed for the MRF within the park was issued on April 13, and construction commenced on April 28, allegedly violating Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, due to proximity to a river and an airport.

The petitioner also cited a 2019 directive from the then Kullu deputy commissioner to maintain the park's status quo. The applicant seeks restoration of the park to its original condition and disciplinary action against responsible officials. A hearing is scheduled for July 2.