SC plans to set up expert panel to study carrying capacity of Indian Himalayan region

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra termed it a "very important issue"

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it was contemplating constituting an expert committee for conducting a complete and comprehensive study on the carrying capacity of the Himalayan region in the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra termed it a “very important issue” and said that it was contemplating a comprehensive study on the carrying capacity of the Himalayan region where unplanned development has caused devastation in recent times.

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The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an ecosystem can sustain without getting degraded.

“So, we can appoint say three or four of these institutions which will nominate their representatives and we can ask them to carry out a complete and comprehensive study on carrying capacity within the Himalayan region,” the bench said.

The bench made the remarks after petitioner Ashok Kumar Raghav said that there was a need for a comprehensive study by expert institutions as devastation is being noticed almost every single day in the Himalayan region.

Raghav has filed a plea seeking an assessment of the carrying capacity and master plans for the Indian Himalayan Region spanning 13 states and union territories.

The plea has stated, “Due to non-existent carrying/bearing capacity studies, grave geological hazards in the form of landslides, land subsidence, land cracking and sinking issues such as that in Joshimath are being witnessed and serious ecological and environmental depredation are taking place in the hills”

Almost all hill stations, pilgrimage places and other tourism destinations spread over the Dhauladhar Circuit, Satluj Circuit, Beas Circuit and Tribal Circuit in Himachal Pradesh also remain hugely burdened and are almost on the brink of collapse with no carrying capacities assessed for any of the places in the state, plea added.