HC questions move to use forest land for muck dumping

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has raised serious concerns over the very basis of identifying forest land for muck dumping near Dharamshala, observing that the forest department’s primary responsibility is to protect forest land from diversion for non-forest purposes. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi raised the issue while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation regarding rampant muck dumping in Dharamshala and surrounding areas.