Scrap Draft “EIA Notification 2020” – Reject Attempts to Relax Environmental Regulations: primary comments on the Draft EIA Notification 2020

Dated: 29.06.2020 To, The Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bagh Road, Aliganj, New Delhi-110 003. Subject: Scrap Draft “EIA Notification 2020” – Reject Attempts to Relax Environmental Regulations: primary comments on the Draft EIA Notification 2020. Dear Madam/Sir, We, the representatives of different organisations from Himachal Pradesh would […]

Article | A Bureaucratic Unmaking Forest Rights Act in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh

Written by Aditi Vajpeyi & Vaishnavi Rathore Published on Economic and Political Weekly The emergence of the Forest Rights Act reasserted the vitality of the role people play in conservation and management of natural resources and carving out legal channels for recognition of their forest rights. But, in Himachal Pradesh, the FRA suffers at the […]

9 Dec 2019 | Kinnaur tribals protest, seek FRA implementation

People from Kinnaur staged a protest at Reckong Peo today seeking speedy implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the tribal areas of the state and to draw the attention of the government towards the growing threat to the ecology. The protesting members of the Zila Van Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti Kinnaur were joined by […]

Article | A silent betrayal

In a travesty of the Forest Rights Act set up to protect indigenous communities, members of the Lippa tribal village in Himachal Pradesh are being denied individual forest rights. Text by Manshi Asher Photographs by Sumit Mahar Himachal Pradesh, a State where two-thirds of the landscape is categorised as forest and 90 per cent of […]

Submission for the EAC’s on the draft report of Satluj river basin’s Cumulative Impact Assessment and Carrying Capacity Study

To The Chairperson Environmental Appraisal Committee Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change [IA-I Division] New Delhi Date: 24th January, 2019 Subject: Submission for the EAC’s upcoming discussion on the draft report of Satluj river basin’s Cumulative Impact Assessment and Carrying Capacity Study Respected Sir As the EAC schedules on discussing the draft report of […]

Press Note: 29/12/2018 Tribals rally against bureaucratic roadblocking of Forest Rights Act in Kinnaur

Local leaders and activists call out the ignorance and apathy of administration, question apathy of the government Close to 1500 tribal people assembled and carried out a rally at Kinnaur’s district headquarter of Reckong Peo on the 29th of December to register their protest against the district administration for not implementing the Forest Rights Act […]

PRESS NOTE : NGT directs Kashang Project Forest Diversion Proposal to be placed before Gram Sabhas of affected villages; asks for compliance to provisions of Forest Rights Act 2006

5 May 2016 The National Green Tribunal, yesterday, on 4th May 2016, passed a judgement directing the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the State Government of Himachal to place the entire forest clearance proposal  for the Integrated Kashang (stage II and III) Hydroelectric Project before the affected Gram Sabhas for their perusal. The judgement was passed by the Principal Bench chaired by Justice […]

Press Note 15th June 2015: Kinnaur residents rise-up! Demand immediate action on pathetic condition of NH-5

Close to 500 residents of Hangrang Valley and other areas of Pooh block Upper Kinnaur today held a rally at Kinnaur’s district headquarter Rekong Peo demanding immediate action by the Administration on the pathetic conditions of roads, especially, the National Highway 5. “NH-5, which is the lifeline of Kinnaur and the only road for residents […]

PRESS NOTE 12th December 2014: People of Kinnaur challenge Satluj basin impact study as “biased” and “pro-hydro” : Panel silenced by questions raised at Public Consultation

On 8th and 9th December 2014, the Directorate of Energy organised Public Consultations in Rekong Peo and Pooh (Kinnaur District) on the Cumulative Environment Impact Assessment Study conducted for the Satluj River Basin. The study, which had the mandate to assess the over all cumulative impacts of the ongoing and proposed hydropower development in the […]

Critique of the Cumulative Impact Assessment report of Satluj River Basin

Himdhara made a detailed submission on the critique of the Cumulative Impact Assessment report of Satluj Basin conducted by ICFRE. The study was conducted for the Himachal government after the Ministry of  Environment , Forest and Climate Change urged it to assess the cumulative impacts of hydro power projects on all the river basins of […]