Acknowledging that “there are shortcomings in the existing measures” to deal with ecological imbalance in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Government on Monday sought “at least six months” from the Supreme Court to prepare a roadmap.
In an affidavit filed in the top court, the state government emphasised “the need for their (shortcomings’) identification, along with the formulation of a comprehensive future action plan to effectively address the disastrous situations witnessed in recent years as well as the continuing challenges”.
As the matter titled ‘Issues relating to ecology and environmental conditions prevailing in Himachal Pradesh’ came up for hearing, Himachal Advocate General Anup Kumar Rattan and Additional Advocate General Vaibhav Srivastava told a Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath that the state had filed an affidavit detailing the current mechanisms and steps taken to arrest the situation.
“To this end, the state intends to constitute a core group comprising officers concerned, subject matter experts such as geologists, hydrologists, climate change experts etc. from various institutions and community representatives to identify these shortcomings and suggest a roadmap for the future,” the government said in its affidavit.
The government said a comprehensive roadmap for the future was essential to tackle the emerging challenges, seeking additional time of at least six months to contemplate a roadmap.
The Bench, which also included Justice Sandeep Mehta, decided to appoint an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist it in the suo motu PIL initiated by it on ecological imbalance in Himachal that has been at the receiving end of nature’s fury in recent years and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.
Noting that the hills and mountains of Himachal were susceptible to landslides during monsoons and were vulnerable due to geological, meteorological and anthropogenic factors, including high-intensity earthquakes, the affidavit said, “In recent years, Himachal has faced significant impact from climate change, marked by rising temperatures, retreating glaciers and altered rainfall patterns. The 2025 monsoon season alone brought unusually intense rainfall, resulting in human loss and extensive damage to infrastructure, homes and agriculture, particularly in vulnerable districts.”
Regarding challenges posed by climate change, it said, “While the state is committed to pursuing sustainable development, it alone cannot bear the burden of climate change impacts.”
Expressing serious concerns over ecological imbalance in Himachal, the Supreme Court had on July 28 warned that the “entire state may vanish in thin air from the country’s map if unregulated development continued unabated”. “We want to impress upon the state government and the Centre that earning revenue is not everything. Revenue cannot be earned at the cost of environment. If things proceed the way they are as on date, the day is not far when the entire state of Himachal may vanish in thin air from the map of the country,” a Bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala had said.