Despite intervention by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, illegal construction in the Shivalik foothills remains rampant. It is the same area for which the state government had brought the farmhouse policy, which was stayed by the NGT. Forest Department officials said that the land mafia is taking advantage due to the absence of demarcation of the protected area. Chief Conservator of Forests, Mahavir Singh, said that a JCB and other machinery belonging to the responsible persons had been confiscated in the Mirzapur village, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (SAS Nagar) district, and the police have been asked to register a case against violators. A survey of the area reveals that in Chotti & Badi Naggal, Parol villages, and other areas in SAS Nagar district, seasonal rivulets have been diverted to reclaim land for farm houses. The land mafia is also leveling village hills and forest land, carving out plots and farmhouses to sell them illegally. Additionally, NGT has ordered the closure of 13 stone crushers in the Hoshairpur-Ropar Shivalik Hills area and imposed a USD 20M environmental compensation penalty on the crushing units. NGT has given the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) three months to complete inspections and verify the sources of raw material. The area is concentrated in the ecologically fragile Shivalik Hills, spanning the Beet area of Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur district, and the Kheda Kalmot cluster, Ropar district. Illegal excavation has reportedly leveled hills up to 200 feet high in a region that serves as a critical sub-mountainous forest zone and Panjab’s primary groundwater recharge area. Concurrently, a report submitted to the NGT by PPCB contradicts claims made by the Sangrur Municipal Council (MC) on solid waste management. The MC had claimed that dumping sites had been cleared. However, an inspection by a PPCB environmental engineer found otherwise. Meanwhile, the Shahpur Kandi Dam on the Ravi river, Pathankot district, nears completion. Surplus Ravi river’s waters—previously flowing downstream into Pakistan—will now be stored and redirected for irrigation and power generation within Panjab and Jammu & Kashmir regions, significantly altering longstanding water distribution patterns between India and Pakistan. Despite being authorized under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, India lacked the infrastructure to capture and store excess Ravi river water, leading much of it to flow into Pakistan. The dam’s completion is expected by 31 Mar (earlier coverage).
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