HC blames human activity for disasters in Himalayan states

The Uttarakhand High Court, addressing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), raised concerns about the lack of compliance with the Doon Valley notification for the formulation of a tourism development plan within the valley. As per a TOI report, the division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal, expressed strong concerns during the hearing.

"The Himalayas were formed thousands of years ago, but disasters are happening only now... All these disasters are completely man-made," remarked the judges, highlighting their deep apprehensions about the situation. They further criticized the state government, stating that it had "completely disregarded the law and wants to commercialize everything."

The PIL was filed by Akash Vashishtha, a lawyer and environmentalist, who sought the "enforcement and strict adherence to the Doon Valley Notification (1989) under the Environment (Protection) Act" following recent landslides and subsidence in areas like Dhanaulti and Chamba due to heavy rains.


The Doon Valley region encompasses Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and the surrounding areas. The court observed that the "state government had utterly failed to formulate the required tourism development plan in line with the aforementioned notification." In response to this, the court has requested the Centre to submit an affidavit detailing the status of implementation and adherence to the Doon Valley notification.

Subsequently, the court issued a directive to the state government, instructing officials to "prepare a comprehensive plan within the next four weeks and adhere to the Doon Valley notification." The bench warned that failure to comply would result in the government being held in contempt. Furthermore, the chief secretary has been directed to be present in case of non-compliance. The court has scheduled the next hearing on October 3 to monitor the progress of the case.