Taking a tough stance on the issue of causing environmental pollution in the Beas and its tributaries by hotels located in Kullu and Manali, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) to close down 34 hotels operating without obtaining the consent of the board. The NGT, headed by Justice Swatantar Kumar, further directed the Member Secretary of Pollution Control Board to file a detailed affidavit before the tribunal as to where they (hotels) were disposing of sewage and waste and what treatment plants had been installed, if at all. The NGT passed this order when it was informed by the board that there were 129 hotels on the riverside in Kullu and Manali, and of them 34 had obtained their consent which was in force. Applications of 54 hotels are under consideration and 34 hotels are operating without obtaining the consent of the HPSPCB and have not even applied for one. Fifteen hotels have not applied for consent renewal while the application of one hotel has been rejected. The NGT further observed that “other major source of polluting the Beas and its tributaries causing environmental pollution is throwing of municipal solid waste and discarded vegetables directly into the river. The Marketing Committee, Bhuntar, is one of such parties responsible for throwing municipal /vegetable waste directly into the river, it said. The NGT issued bailable warrants against the secretary, Marketing Committee, Bhuntar and Prem Singh, the contractor. It further issued show-cause notice to them as to why they should not be directed to restore the environmental degradation caused by them in the Beas and why they should not be directed to pay a minimum of Rs 5 lakh each for causing environmental degradation. It further directed the government to divide the entire state into different clusters for the purpose of collection, handling and disposal of municipal solid waste. These clusters should be demarcated keeping in mind the economic conditions and capacity of the local government unit to construct municipal solid waste plant without delay.