The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has come down heavily on senior Himachal Pradesh officials for allowing the construction of an illegal road in the fragile, eco-sensitive Spiti valley, which led to tree felling and significant environmental damage. The tribunal has directed the responsible authorities to provide 28.7 hectares of non-forest land for afforestation and deposit a hefty penalty of Rs 1.49 crore within one month.
NGT's Stern Order and Remedial Directives
In a decisive order, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi of the NGT directed the state forest department to immediately commence remedial measures, including the mandated afforestation. The department has been given a strict deadline of two months to file a compliance report on these actions. Justice Tyagi observed that since the respondents had already diverted forest land, cut trees, and built the road without the necessary approval for forest land diversion, they were now liable to submit the compensatory afforestation amount.
The Genesis: A Citizen's Petition and Committee Findings
The NGT's intervention followed a letter petition filed in April 2022 by Ram Singh, a resident of Mane village in Spiti. Singh alleged that under the supervision of the executive engineer of the Kaza division of the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD), a road from Poh Maidan to Dhankar village was constructed and widened without seeking the mandatory permission under the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
The petitioner claimed that officials deliberately sought permission for only 1.7 km of the road instead of the entire 8 km stretch, thereby causing substantial damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Lahaul and Spiti district. Taking the allegations seriously, the NGT formed a joint committee in April 2022. The committee's report confirmed that a portion of the road from Gecha village to Dhankar helipad was not approved by the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Kaza, rendering that stretch illegal.
Disciplinary Actions and Government Response
The NGT order also highlighted that disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the officials responsible for the violations. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests issued show-cause notices to several forest department officials, including Hardev Singh Negi, Rajiv Kumar Sharma (retd), Chhewang Angrup, and forest guards Palvinder and Devender Sharma. An inquiry is underway against all of them. Furthermore, the forest department has lodged an FIR against the accused officials involved in the illegal construction.
In a compliance report submitted to the NGT, the Himachal Pradesh government stated it had initiated disciplinary action and would submit a detailed report on the action taken against officials who failed to prevent the use of forest land for non-forestry purposes. The government also committed to submitting a wildlife management plan for the affected area after obtaining approval from the chief wildlife warden.
The NGT has set April 8, 2026, as the next date of hearing and granted the respondents two months to file their compliance report on the afforestation and penalty directives.
