The Uttarakhand government has warned of legal action against construction agencies like the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the Border Road Organisation (BRO) for not dumping landslide debris at designated places in the hills.
It has also instructed district administrations across the state to provide land for creating additional dumping grounds for road construction bodies.
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On Monday, the state government directed central road construction agencies working in hill areas to strictly follow the rules for debris disposal, warning that legal action will be taken against them if they fail to comply.
Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Radha Raturi ordered officials to take strict action against agencies that violate debris disposal rules by dumping waste away from designated sites along national highways.
Chairing a high-level meeting of senior officials, the Chief Secretary emphasized that norms for the systematic disposal of debris generated during landslides, heavy rains, or the construction of national highways must be adhered to, or else legal action will be initiated against the responsible agencies.
Raturi gave District Magistrates one week to identify additional land, beyond the existing locations, for creating sufficient dumping sites and to submit proposals to the government.
The Chief Secretary instructed District Magistrates to prioritize the identification of revenue land along national highways for developing dumping sites. She mentioned that forest land could serve as an alternative dumping site if revenue land is unavailable.
Raturi also asked district magistrates to explore the possibility of expanding existing debris dumping grounds on under-construction national highways by central agencies, such as the BRO and NHIDCL, as well as the state’s Public Works Department (PWD), if these sites are saturated. She directed agencies to investigate options for compressing the saturated dumping zones.
Furthermore, Radha Raturi instructed officials to prepare an action plan for the use of saturated dumping sites and to develop green patches through intensive plantation drives of bamboo and other fast-growing plant saplings in these areas.
These green patches will serve as natural crash barriers along national highways in the hills. Notably, according to the government’s assessment, Uttarakhand requires 81.99 hectares of land for creating sufficient dumping grounds, considering the extent of highways under construction in the hills over the next five years.
Raturi also ordered the BRO, NHIDCL, and other road construction agencies to coordinate and conduct joint inspections with district administrations to identify the land needed for dumping sites.
