Himachal: Protest against charcoal hot mix plant near residential area

Himachal Pradesh: Residents of Bhali Gram Panchayat under Jawali subdivision of Kangra district staged a protest at Takhniyar village of the panchayat last evening, where the Pathankot-Mandi fourlane construction company had allegedly set up a charcoal hot mix plant within 50 metres of a residential area. The residents raised slogans in support of their demand against the construction company for setting up the plant in their area, demanding immediate closure of the plant or shifting it to another place away from the residential area. They staged their protest near the plant. Panchayat Uppradhan Munshi Ram, who led the protest, lamented that the residents of the gram panchayat have been raising objections ever since the construction company appointed by the NHAI for the highway widening project set up this hot mix plant in March 2023, but neither the NHAI officials nor the local government officials took any action to stop the operation of the plant in the gram panchayat.

The residents lamented that the plant is causing environmental pollution after emitting hazardous gases and has become a threat to the health of the people. He argued that as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rules, hot mix plants cannot be set up within 500 metres of rural settlements. Meanwhile, local social activist Aman Rana, who has been raising this public issue for the past one year, said he had approached the administrative and pollution control board officials and the NHAI construction company several times against setting up of the hot mix plant in a residential area, but to no avail.

“After making a lot of rounds, I have filed a civil writ petition (CWP) in the state high court in May this year, making the project director, NHAI Shimla, State Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, four-lane construction company and local administrative officials as respondents in the petition. The petition is still pending in the court,” he said. Rana has pleaded the court through the CWP to direct the respondents to immediately stop the operation of the hot mix plant and shift it to some other place away from the residential area. When contacted, Rohit Kumar, human resources manager, Bharat Highways Construction Company, said the plant has been set up in Bhali gram panchayat after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the local panchayat and the state pollution control board.