CHOPAL (SHIMLA): Once a serene old hill township, is spiraling into an environmental nightmare. Nagar Panchayat is Defying HP High Court Order, Letting Town Sink in Waste.
Plastic chokes the roadsides. The Bazar-hospital-Lankarvir road both sides, the Chopal-Nerwa Majhoutli stretch, and even the area near the PWD rest house are piled with litter.
Roadsides are stained with waste, now a glaring sign of a township ignoring its duty to protect its natural beauty.
And why? It’s all about concrete and cash. Builders here—shopkeepers, hardware wala, and salaried elites—have set their sights on high-rise dreams, cramming massive structures wherever there’s space.
The rush to build big shops, towering buildings, overlapping one another is all-consuming.
The charm of the hills seems like an afterthought now. Picturesque landscapes and the soul of the mountains are buried under concrete, all in the name of “progress” or profit.
Tall buildings keep sprouting up, often with little regard for the town and country planning (TCP) norms. It feels as if these rules are just suggestions, especially for those with money or influence.
Is anyone even checking if these norms apply, or are they only there for show?
For residents, it’s frustrating to watch unchecked construction take over the natural beauty of these towns.
But as long as profits keep rolling and the powerful get to flaunt their projects, the hills seem to be left out of the equation.
Take a look 50 m downhill from the sacred Langaravir Temple, and you’ll see what the town residents, its “builders” and hardware sellers and above all Nagar Panchayat reprentatives have left behind: a forest littered with plastic, broken glass, and rotting food.
A beautiful green right into the middle of forest is drowning under layers of garbage. This trash isn’t just from careless visitors or random litterbugs.
The trees have uprooted and are dying. The builders also dump the muck here under the nose of SDM and DFO, Nagar Panchayat.
Word on the street is, those meant to protect this forest—the very officials on the Nagar Panchayat—are some of the worst offenders.
The town’s Nagar Panchayat, from the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson to the ward members and secretary stands accused of dumping waste right into this forest.
They aren’t even subtle about it. Their own trucks have been caught emptying loads of garbage directly onto forest land. It’s an open secret: the very officials in charge of keeping Chopal clean are adding to its ruin.
Wildlife is paying the price for this mess. Monkeys, stray dogs, cows, crows—these creatures now scavenge through piles of trash, plastic, and leftovers.
This forest, which once supported life, is now a toxic playground.
And where are the “authorities” as this disaster unfolds? The SDM of Chopal, the DFO, the local MLAs—they’re all conspicuously silent.
The High Court has issued clear orders for proper waste disposal and designated sites. But these orders lie forgotten, buried under heaps of discarded plastic.
At what point will the Nagar Panchayat step up? Their silence is deafening. The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and ward members have failed, plain and simple.
They cannot dodge accountability while the forest chokes. This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s an ethical and legal failure.
The residents, officials, and leaders of Chopal must answer. How much more will they allow before the entire hillside becomes one big dump?
Its ward members, secretary and chairman, vice-chairperson have forgotten their duty to keep Chopal clean and green.Instead, they’re busy gossiping and playing dirty politics in office or dhabas and shops.
They are expected to set example for other towns like Nerwa, Maroag, Sarahan, Kupvi, Jhiknipul, Deha, and others, which are even worst.
The result? Trash is everywhere. Plastic is choking the town roadsides, and even the cremation enclosure has been abandoned. This roofed enclosure is now besieged by heaps of plastic waste.
Nagar Panchayat says they don’t have place to dump it. Nor do have they sources/funds to create waste collection and disposal facility.
The BDO of Chopal has shown what real leadership looks like. In a commendable move, they created a “plastic nature park” here, showing a way to manage waste with purpose by involving gram panchayats.
It’s a sharp contrast to the Chopal Nagar Panchayat’s slumber. Why are they still asleep while Chopal drowns in garbage? This isn’t mere neglect. It’s outright dereliction of duty.
They must answer for it. The Nagar Panchayat officials of Chopal should be brought to book.
