Kedarnath Dham
There was a case of management negligence in Kedarnath Dham, one of the Char Dhams. RTI revealed that tons of unprocessed garbage was dumped in pits around Dham. Dumping of waste in this sensitive area has increased concerns among environmental enthusiasts.
An environmental activist from Noida in Uttar Pradesh learned from information received through RTI that a total of 49.18 tonnes of untreated waste was dumped in two pits near the Kedarnath Dham temple between 2022 and 2024.
Garbage increases year by year.
According to information received by RTI, the amount of garbage continued to increase during this period. 13.20 tons of waste have been generated in 2022, 18.48 tons of waste have been generated in 2023, and 17.50 tons of waste have been generated so far this year. During this period, 23.30 tons of inorganic waste was also generated.
When asked by RTI activist Amit Gupta, the public information officer of Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat said that all this waste has been recycled. Gupta said the information received from RTI about waste generation and its lack of treatment was shocking. This clearly shows that there is no waste management system there.
The Prime Minister raised the issue
Gupta said the Kedarnath temple is at an altitude of 12,000 feet and there are glaciers there as well. The area is sensitive from an environmental perspective. The Prime Minister has also raised this issue in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, but the authorities are yet to take any concrete steps to prevent plastic waste. The pit near the temple is almost full. If it continues like this, the possibility of a tragedy like 2013 cannot be ruled out.
No complaints were filed.
In his response to the RTI, he told RTI that the waste was being disposed of in an irresponsible manner during this period, but the government did not file any complaint in this regard and no action was taken.
The RTI activist said he himself has been writing to the authorities and filing complaints regarding the matter for the past two years. He has also filed a complaint with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in this regard. After receiving the complaint, the Ganga delegation has directed the Rudraprayag government to take action against it.
