 "Snowfall, Spiti")
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Himachal Pradesh government to provide their comments on a report submitted by a joint committee that identified numerous environmental violations and damage in Kufri.
The committee reported degradation of natural vegetation, more than thousand horses and ponies present beyond the area's carrying capacity, and improper solid waste management leading to pollution.
The NGT bench, comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Dr. A. Senthil Vel, stated that the comments of the MoEF&CC and the Himachal Pradesh government need to be obtained to implement the recommendations in the report.
The bench issued a notice to both entities, requesting their comments on the report and any objections they may have.
The application filed before the NGT raised concerns about the unscientific management of tourist activities in Kufri, including the extensive use of horses in a small area, which was causing significant environmental damage.
It was also alleged that the declining snowfall in the area over the past two decades was due to the negligent attitude of the state authorities, the increasing number of horses, and other local factors.
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Based on the report submitted by the joint committee, the NGT has directed the authorities to file their responses within one month.
--IANS
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