Iconic Tiger Hill near Darjeeling under ‘development’ threat, NGT pulls up government departments

The eastern zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal in Kolkata has issued notices to several key Union and state government departments as well as the district administration of Darjeeling, asking them to respond, within four weeks, to the allegation that the environmental status of the iconic tiger hill has been severely deteriorated due to unplanned activities.

Tiger Hill is famous for watching sunrises on the background of Mt Kanchenjunga. It is part of the Senchal wildlife sanctuary, one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in the country that was established in 1915, holding two lakes that act as the main sources of drinking water to the town of Darjeeling.

The bench, consisting of Justice B Amit Sthalekar and expert member Arun Kumar Verma, listed the complaints filed by petitioner environmentalist Subhas Datta and observed that the “matter requires consideration”. 

Notices were served to the Union environment, forest and climate change as well as urban development departments; state municipal affairs, environment, forest departments and pollution control board; district magistrate office as well as the Darjeeling municipality.

The bench listed complaints Datta referred, including concretisation of Tiger Hill, setting up of mobile towers, establishment of toilets and other public facilities without proper sewerage management, construction of car parking space and rest houses destroying the vegetation and completely changing the nature of land as well as burning and littering plastic all over tiger hill.

The wildlife sanctuary has several endangered plants, animal and bird species, the bench noted. “In 2017, the place was declared a Protected Area,” it added, while discussing the allegations. 

“Tiger Hill has been turned into a concrete hill,” Datta told Down To Earth, adding:

The iconic place is not only a green zone but also a water catchment area for supplying drinking water to Darjeeling town and adjoining places. Rampant violations in the protected area threatens the future of Tiger Hill as well as Darjeeling, as the water-stressed town may lose its main source of water supply.

Green norms out the window

On March 27, Datta submitted a 96-page petition listing out several environmental irregularities plaguing the iconic Tiger Hill, a biodiversity hotspot and famous tourism point.

Datta complained that “just to facilitate tourism, Tiger Hill view point has been concretised”. “There is no valid reason to concretise the top-most flat zone of the water catchment area falling under the protected zone”.  

He also complained about the abandoned, “big concrete and steel structures” that have come up at the top-most point of the Tiger Hill, as well as a guest house under the facade of the forest museum.

Mobile towers of BSNL and private operators have been set up at the topmost part of Tiger Hill, Datta pointed out. “Such constructions should not be allowed in a protected sanctuary”.

Moreover, human interference and new settlements at the hill-top are increasing by the day, the environmentalist highlighted. This puts strain on the local ecology, he added, as the trend is “detrimental not only to the biodiversity of the sanctuary but also for the water catchment area”.   

More human presence also leads to waste generation. To cater to the needs of the tourists, local support staff and hawkers, big toilets have been set up without an appropriate sewerage management system, said Datta, warning that “such acts might pollute the underground aquifer”.

Datta pointed out that despite Tiger Hill being a plastic-free zone, plastic waste could be found in some spots bearing tell-tale signs of burning, and held “failure on the part of the controlling authority” responsible for the situation.

A big car parking space has been developed, alleged Datta, reminding, “It is not permissible to change the basic character of the area which is not just a wildlife sanctuary but also a catchment area for Senchal lakes”.

Shifting onus 

As per the Union environment, forest and climate change ministry notification, a monitoring committee is supposed to be set up for eco-sensitive zones like Senchal wildlife sanctuary. “However, no monitoring committee has been set up, there is no zonal master plan, tourism master plan,” the activist wrote.

Now, as the green tribunal took cognisance of the violations prima facie and asked to respond, state government departments have started to shift the onus from themselves.

“Municipality has no control over the area apart from the lakes; I have to look into the order,” said Dipen Thakuri, chairperson of Darjeeling municipality, to this reporter on Sunday.

Another district administration official held the forest department responsible. “Definitely there have been violations, and the responsibility lies with the state forest department as the area is under their control and they also take a fee to allow the tourists in Tiger Hill,” said the official.

“We hardly know in detail what kind of developmental works are happening in Tiger Hill, which is situated at an altitude of about 8,000 feet,” said a forest department official. “The developmental work in Tiger Hill was initiated by the British,” reminded a state government official.

The bench has issued notices to various departments with a direction that the respondents “file their counter-affidavits within four weeks”. 

We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.