Report filed by the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee regarding disposal of plastic waste in tourist hotspots at high altitude places, Jammu & Kashmir, 13/10/2022
Report filed by the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee in the matter of Joginder Singh Thakur Vs UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
The complainant said that during various metals and events which are held in the month of April in Chenab Valley region particularly in Bhaderwah, plastic waste water bottles are being discarded posing threat to the environment.
The Pollution Control Committee said that tourist spots in and around Bhaderwah like Jai Valley, Padheri Dhar, Chattergala, Khaleni Top which come under the administrative control of Forest Department and Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) are visited by tourists throughout summers. These places have become major contributors of the plastic waste. Due to no effective waste management and disposal system, littered waste gets dumped in the hillslopes/depressions.
The report also put forward remedial measures for effective implementation of the Plastic Waste Management Rules during the annual religious yatras, melas and in the tourist spots at high altitude meadows.
The report recommended that the local administration, forest department and Bhaderwah Development Authority and Municipal Committee needs to put in place the mechanism for segregation, collection and disposal of plastic waste at all of these tourism places in a scientific manner.