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NGT bars further dumping and construction at Nehru Park in Kullu after allegations that a public park was being converted into a waste facility.
Tribunal seeks responses from Delhi authorities on alleged encroachment of forest land in Bhati Khurd for unauthorised bridge construction.
Faridabad administration says steps are under way to implement Solid Waste Management Rules, including new tenders and expanded processing capacity.
No further dumping of solid waste should take place in an area designated as a park in Kullu town, Himachal Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed on May 8, 2026.
The NGT also directed the authorities concerned to desist from any change of land use and from raising any further construction at the site until further orders. The District Magistrate, Kullu, and the Superintendent of Police, Kullu, were directed to ensure that any ongoing construction activity or solid waste dumping at the site is stopped.
The NGT directed that notices be issued to the respondents, including the Municipal Council, Kullu, and the Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, among others, asking them to file their responses within one month. It also ordered the constitution of a joint committee to verify the facts and suggest appropriate remedial action. The committee will comprise representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) and the District Magistrate, Kullu, and must submit its report within one month.
“Green belts/parks in cities/residential areas/urban bodies are essential as they act as lungs of the area and help in maintaining the air quality in the area and the green belts/parks are required to be protected and no encroachment and raising of construction can be allowed over the same,” said Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi.
The application stated that Nehru Park, Sarvari, Kullu, is a public park situated on government land in Kullu town. It was developed for public use and maintained by the Municipal Council, Kullu. For some time, the council has allegedly been using the park area to dump sand, grit and boulders and to park idle mobile toilets, resulting in the deterioration of public assets and partial conversion of the park into a dumping ground.
At a meeting held on January 8, 2019 under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, the Municipal Council was directed to maintain the status quo and not alter the existing nature of the park. Although steps were taken for its development and improvement, the condition of the park did not improve.
Recently, the Municipal Council, Kullu, issued a short-term tender notice dated 13 April 2026, inviting bids for the construction of a shed within Nehru Park to establish a Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The park is less than 30 metres from the bank of the Sarvari river, a major tributary of the Beas, which flows within 200 metres of the park. The park adjoins dense habitations and is less than 10 kilometre from Bhunter airport.
The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, mandate that an MRF must be at least 100 metres from a river and at least 20 km from airports or airbases.
Despite meetings with the Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, and the submission of memorandums to the Director of Urban Development and the Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, Kullu, the tender was finalised and construction or ground activity began at the site on April 28, 2026.
The application stated that the authorities’ actions violate the NGT’s order of July 29, 2013 in Abhishek Rai v State of Himachal Pradesh, which prohibits garbage collection or segregation plants in densely inhabited areas in the middle of town.
Counsel for the applicant placed photographs on record showing that a park once existed at the site but has gradually been dismantled and used for dumping garbage. The photographs also show construction being raised at the site.
The NGT on May 7, 2026 directed the authorities to submit their responses on the alleged encroachment of government-owned forest land at Bhati Khurd, Delhi. The respondents include the Deputy Forest Conservation Officer, the Principal Forest Officer, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Deputy Commissioner of Police, among others. The matter has been listed for hearing on May 25, 2026.
According to the applicant, the land has been encroached upon by farmhouse owners, who are carrying out unauthorised and illegal construction of a bridge without obtaining the required permissions.
The applicant had sought information through an application filed on October 27, 2025 under the Right to Information Act, 2005, asking whether any circular or tender had been issued by the Department of Forest and Wildlife, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), for the construction of the bridge on the land.
In its reply dated 1 January 2026, the applicant was informed that the land in question is designated as forest land and that no tender had been floated by the Department of Forest and Wildlife, GNCTD.
The applicant further submitted that, under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 — now the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 — forest land cannot be used for non-forest purposes without prior approval of the central government. The construction of the bridge, the applicant said, violates these statutory provisions, as well as the Delhi Master Plan and the Delhi Development Act, 1957.
The Range Forest Officer, South Forest Division, issued a restraint order on 6 March 2026, but construction activities have allegedly continued.
Necessary steps are being taken to effectively implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, in Faridabad district, Haryana, according to a report filed by the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner, Faridabad, on May 11, 2026.
The report stated that the District Magistrate, Faridabad, is establishing an effective monitoring, review and coordination mechanism in consultation with the Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, and other authorities.
Integrated tenders for door-to-door collection, segregation, transportation and scientific handling of municipal solid waste in the east and west zones have already been floated through the Haryana e-tendering portal to ensure systematic waste management within the municipal area.
Municipal solid waste processing and disposal facilities are operational at the Partapgarh and Mujheri processing sites, with a cumulative capacity of about 450 tonnes per day. The Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, is also taking steps to establish an additional processing facility with a proposed capacity of about 600 tonnes per day.
The primary statutory responsibility for the collection, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid waste within municipal limits rests with the Municipal Corporation, Faridabad. However, the district administration is extending all necessary administrative support, coordination and supervisory assistance for the effective implementation and monitoring of the Solid Waste Management Rules.
