Himachal High Court Pulls Up Authorities Over Solid Waste Management, Seeks Time-Bound Action Across State
SHIMLA, JULY 24: Taking serious note of persistent shortcomings in solid waste management across Himachal Pradesh, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed Deputy Commissioners, Urban Local Bodies and other authorities to take urgent remedial measures to improve waste collection, segregation and disposal, while fixing timelines for compliance in several districts.
Hearing a batch of public interest litigations led by Suleman and others vs Union of India and others, a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi reviewed status reports filed by district administrations and issued a series of directions to ensure effective implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
The court appreciated the progress made by the Lahaul and Spiti district administration, noting that source-segregated waste collection systems have been institutionalised in eight Gram Panchayats under SADA, Keylong. It also recorded that waste management centres at Koksar, Biling and Kaza are functioning, while another facility at Daalang is under active consideration. The Bench noted the administration's commitment to achieving 100 per cent source segregation across all Gram Panchayats and SADA local bodies by December 2026 and placing the District Environment Action Plan into operation.
However, the court expressed concern over reports submitted by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Sirmaur, highlighting open dumping of garbage near Dosadka on the Nahan-Kumarhatti National Highway, clogged drains along NH-7 between Dehradun and Paonta Sahib and deteriorating sanitation in Nahan and Paonta Sahib. The Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, has been directed to examine the issues and submit a detailed action taken report. The court also instructed the State Legal Services Authority to ensure quarterly monitoring reports from all DLSAs across the state.
Reviewing Shimla district's compliance report, the Bench noted improvements in several urban local bodies. Municipal Council Rohru has been collecting nearly three metric tonnes of waste daily and has processed 19 tonnes of plastic waste for co-processing in cement and waste-to-energy plants. At Theog, a new waste shredder has been installed, while Narkanda and Kotkhai have reported 100 per cent door-to-door segregated waste collection.
The High Court, however, flagged multiple shortcomings. It directed the Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, to re-examine the proposed solid waste management site at Badhal for Rampur due to feasibility concerns following a fire that damaged the existing Material Recovery Facility. The Bench also ordered relocation of the Solid Waste Management Plant at Sunni, observing that waste facilities should not be located adjacent to riverbanks where floods during the monsoon could carry waste downstream and worsen pollution.
The court further directed the Deputy Commissioner to secure pending Forest Conservation Act clearances for waste management facilities in Chirgaon, Chopal, Nerwa and other local bodies before the next hearing. In Jubbal, where the Material Recovery Facility was damaged in a fire, the administration has been asked to establish a proper solid waste management facility and obtain all required statutory clearances.
The Bench also took note of an affidavit stating that garbage user charge arrears of Rs 9.47 crore remain outstanding across urban local bodies, directing authorities to expedite recovery. It further recorded that the Centre had released Rs 106.70 crore to Himachal Pradesh for strengthening urban waste management infrastructure and that new equipment suppliers had been empanelled to upgrade Material Recovery Facilities statewide.
In Baddi, the court was informed that over 20,440 tonnes of waste had already been processed between December 2025 and April 2026, while processing of 76,905 metric tonnes of legacy waste is targeted for completion by December 31, 2027.
The High Court also took judicial notice of fresh reports highlighting illegal garbage dumping along the Beas River in Hamirpur and the Ravi River in Chamba. It directed the Deputy Commissioners of Shimla, Chamba, Bilaspur, Kangra and Kullu to initiate immediate remedial measures based on the findings submitted by the District Legal Services Authorities.
In a related matter, the court directed the Civil Judge at Kandaghat in Solan district to urgently decide a long-pending application concerning a stay order that has stalled the establishment of a Solid Waste Management Plant because of a land dispute. The Civil Judge has been asked to submit a report to the High Court after deciding the application.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 26, 2026, when the court will review compliance reports from the concerned authorities and monitor progress on its directions.
