Aster facility in Kullu park: Matter pending before high court, green tribunal adjourns hearing

4 min readShimlaUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 09:41 PM IST

The high court, which is hearing a plea filed by the Senior Citizen Council of Kullu challenging the proposed construction of MRF inside the park, has is listed for hearing for July 30. (File Photo)

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on a plea challenging the proposed establishment of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a waste handling facility, inside Nehru Park at Sarwari in Kullu district after noting that the matter was pending before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which has ordered status quo at the site.

The high court, which is hearing a plea filed by the Senior Citizen Council of Kullu challenging the proposed construction of MRF inside the park, has is listed for hearing for July 30.

In the NGT, the Principal Bench of chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, was hearing a petition filed by Kullu resident Sanjay Kapoor who too has objected to the setting up of the waste handling facility in the Nehru Park.

The Tribunal, in an order dated May 8, had constituted a joint committee to examine the issue. The committee submitted its report on June 27, pointing out that the same dispute is also pending before the high court. The Tribunal noted, “The high court, while issuing notice on the public interest litigation on May 8, had directed that status quo be maintained with regard to the park”.

According to the high court order referred to by the NGT, the petitioners have contended that Nehru Park, spread over nearly five bighas in the centre of Kullu town, had earlier suffered from poor maintenance and garbage dumping. Following representations made before the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in 2019, renovation works, including the laying of paver tracks and plantation, were undertaken. The petitioners also challenged the proposal to construct an MRF shed in the park pursuant to a tender issued on April 13, 2026, maintaining that preliminary excavation work had already begun.

The counsel for the Himachal Pradesh Pollution State Control Board (HPSPCB) submitted that the writ petition had been listed before the high court on July 30.

Taking note of the submission, the NGT adjourned the matter and directed that it be listed for further hearing on September 16, 2026.

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The Nehru Park is situated on the banks of river Sarwari and spread over 5 bighas of land. It was constructed in the late 2000s but turned dilapidated each passing year. After local residents moved a representation with the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in 2019, the park was renovated.

On June 27, the joint committee, constituted on the order of NGTm submitted that the facility is functioning in gross violation of prescribed norms and could soon become a legacy waste dump unless immediate corrective measures are implemented. The committee, comprising representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), HPSPCB and the district administration, found that the MRF is located barely 15-20 metres from the Sarwari river and adjacent to Nehru Park, yet it is operating without the mandatory authorisation from the HPSPCB. Instead of serving as a scientific waste segregation and processing centre, the facility is effectively functioning as a dumping ground for mixed municipal solid waste.

During the inspection, the committee had also found no effective mechanism for scientific processing of wet waste. Leachate generated from the accumulated garbage was found without a proper collection system, raising concerns that it could flow into the Sarwari river during heavy rainfall and contaminate the water body. The inspection also revealed foul odour, unhygienic surroundings and a large presence of flies, indicating poor management of the site.