The Supreme Court sounded a grave alarm over escalating environmental degradation in Himachal Pradesh, warning the state could “vanish in thin air” if rampant development and unregulated tourism continue destructively unchecked.

Hearing a public interest litigation originally filed by Pristine Hotels & Resorts, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan reprimanded authorities for prioritizing revenue over ecological balance. In response to a hotel proposal in the “Green Area” of Shri Tara Mata Hill denied by the state the Court converted the appeal into a suo motu PIL over wider environmental concerns.

The Bench highlighted alarming climate shifts: rising temperatures, changed snowfall patterns, retreating glaciers including a 2–2.5 km loss at Bara Shigri rising instances of flash floods, and damaged slopes. Deforestation, forest fires, overgrazing, and unchecked construction on fragile terrains worsen risks of landslides and erosion across the Himalayan landscape.

Unrestricted tourism has worsened infrastructure load. In 2024 alone, Himachal welcomed 1.8 crore domestic tourists, with daily peaks of over 40,000 vehicles entering the state well beyond its infrastructural capacity for waste disposal, water supply, and pollution control.

The Supreme Court directed the Himachal government to submit a detailed action plan within four weeks, identifying concrete steps toward ecological restoration. It also instructed the registry to forward orders to the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh and the Union Environment Ministry for urgent compliance.

The Bench highlighted, “Revenue cannot be earned at the cost of environment and ecology. If things proceed the way they are, the day is not far when the entire state may vanish in thin air”.

Several High Court directives had earlier suggested measures to manage tourist waste recommending that tourist vehicles carry garbage bags, charging sustainable tourism fees, establishing material recovery systems, and forming Special Task Forces for environmental upkeep.

As the apex court keeps the matter alive in larger public interest, its warning underscores the urgency of balancing tourism-driven economic gains with preservation of fragile Himalayan ecology. The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether authorities can arrest degradation before irreversible damage sets in.

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