Wildlife authorities crack down on illegal shops near Manimahesh Lake

Wildlife authorities removed around 20 illegal shops that had cropped up near the sacred Manimahesh Lake in open defiance of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directives. The action was carried out by a joint team of the Wildlife Wing of the Forest Department and the police on Saturday.

The makeshift shops, pitched perilously close to the high-altitude glacial lake, were dismantled after authorities found them in violation of the NGT’s October 18, 2024, order, which had categorically prohibited any commercial or langar activity in the lake’s periphery and catchment zone to safeguard the fragile alpine ecosystem.

The tribunal had explicitly banned all commercial and langar activities in the sensitive ecological zone surrounding the lake to protect its fragile environment and water quality. “Some 20 shops that had come up near the Manimahesh Lake catchment area were removed by a joint team,” said Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, Kuldip Singh Jamwal.

He added that shops can only be set up in designated areas and that too after securing due permission from the Eco Development Committee. “No one will be allowed to violate environmental laws or tribunal orders,” he said.

The NGT’s intervention came after a suo-moto petition was taken up on the basis of a letter from the president of the Bharmour-based Shiv Nuala Committee. A joint committee appointed by the tribunal had found that more than 440 unauthorised commercial establishments had mushroomed along the yatra route in previous years. Many of these were operating without permissions, and some had encroached upon protected forest and wildlife sanctuary land.

Despite the ban, vendors had once again started pitching shops around the lake as the snow melted and footfall of early pilgrims increased. Local vendors, mostly from Hadsar, Kugti and Chobia gram panchayats, have traditionally earned seasonal income during the Manimahesh Yatra. While many cite livelihood concerns, environmental experts stress that unregulated human activity puts immense pressure on the region’s delicate ecosystem.

Environmental NGOs like Healing Himalayas and Dhauladhar Cleaners have supported government efforts to manage waste, but enforcement has often lagged. Last year, the joint committee had noted that even basic sanitation facilities were inadequate for the estimated six lakh pilgrims who visited during the yatra.

Himachal Tribune