SC decides to appoint amicus over 'ecological imbalance' in Himachal

The Supreme Court on Monday decided to appoint an amicus curiae to assist it in a matter over the ecological imbalance in Himachal Pradesh.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a suo motu case over the ecological and environmental conditions in Himachal Pradesh.

On July 28, a different bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said the state might "vanish in thin air" if the situation did not change.

On Monday, Himachal Pradesh's advocate general and additional advocate general informed the bench about a report being filed by the state on August 23.

The top court posted the matter after four weeks.

Observing the situation in the state had deteriorated, the apex court in July said climate change was having a "visible and alarming impact" on the state.

The top court was then dealing with a petition against an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which declined to entertain a plea challenging the state's June 2025 notification declaring certain areas as "green area".

While refusing to interfere with the high court's order, the apex court said the obvious reason for issuing the notification was to curb construction activities in a particular area.

The bench said according to experts and various reports, the major causes of destruction in the state were hydropower projects, four-lane roads, deforestation, multi-storey buildings, etc.

It observed Himachal Pradesh was nestled in the lap of the Himalayan mountains and it was important to seek the opinion of geologists, environmental experts and locals before undertaking development projects.

The apex court called tourism a major source of income in the state but flagged the "uncontrolled growth of tourism" straining the environment there.

"If left unchecked, the pressure from tourism could severely undermine the ecological and social fabric of the state," it added.

Referring to the peculiarities in the Himalayan region, the bench outlined the need for all the Himalayan states to collate resources and expertise so as to ensure development plans were cognisant of such challenges.

"All that we want to convey today is that it is high time the state of HP pays attention to what we have observed and starts taking necessary action at the earliest in the right direction," it said.

The bench said the Centre also owed an obligation to ensure the ecological imbalance in the state did not deteriorate further or face natural calamities.

"Of course much damage has been caused but there is a saying that 'something is better than nothing'," the bench observed, as it directed the apex court registry to register a writ petition in public interest on the matter.

"We expect the state to file an appropriate reply explaining whether they have any action plan to meet with the issues we have discussed and what do they propose to do in future," it said.