WLMP Fund Diversion in Shinkula Tunnel Case: NGO Threatens NGT Action, Seeks CM’s Immediate Intervention
Udaipur/Kelang/Shimla:
The diversion of environmental mitigation funds of the strategically important Shinkula Tunnel project has raised the ire of people of Lahaul Spiti.
A Lahaul–Spiti–based NGO has threatened to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging large-scale violations of environmental norms and diversion of wildlife protection funds from the project-affected area.
The Gramin Yuva Sangathan (GYS), an NGO working on tribal rights and environmental protection in the trans-Himalayan region, has accused authorities of proposing to divert over 55 per cent of the Wildlife Management Plan (WLMP) funds—₹7.83 crore out of ₹14.06 crore—outside Lahaul–Spiti, despite the entire ecological impact of the Shinkula Tunnel project being confined to the district.
NGO writes to CM, flags ‘environmental injustice’
GYS president and advocate Sudershan Thakur has written to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, demanding immediate intervention to halt the proposed diversion and order a comprehensive review of the approved WLMP and Soil Moisture Conservation Plan (SMCP).
Thakur has termed the move “environmental injustice” to a tribal and ecologically fragile region, arguing that WLMP funds are meant for compensatory conservation strictly within the project-affected landscape, as per guidelines of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) and the MoEF&CC.
“Damage has occurred and will continue to occur in Lahaul–Spiti due to blasting, tunnelling and allied construction activity".
"Diverting mitigation funds outside the affected area defeats the very purpose of compensatory conservation and violates binding guidelines,” Thakur said.
Forest Dept admits fund skew, mitigation gaps
The allegations are backed by official communication issued by the Wildlife Wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.
It has acknowledges that while ₹6.23 crore (44.31 per cent) of the WLMP allocation has been earmarked for works in Lahaul, a larger share—₹7.83 crore (55.69 per cent)—is proposed to be spent outside the district, though within Himachal Pradesh.
The document, signed by Ralte Lalnun Sanga, PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Himachal Pradesh, which is with Himbumail further concedes that the approved WLMP and SMCP do not contain clearly delineated, site-specific mitigation measures to address impacts on glaciers, snow stability, alpine vegetation, habitat connectivity and high-altitude ecosystems, despite extensive blasting and tunnelling in the region.
While the department has stated that additional site-specific mitigation measures may be considered in future, such steps would be subject to approval by the competent authority.
₹2.11 crore SMCP, but construction-linked risks not detailed
The Forest Department has also confirmed that an SMCP worth ₹2.11 crore has been approved for general soil and moisture conservation works.
However, it admits that location-specific prescriptions directly addressing construction-phase impacts have not been explicitly detailed in the approved plan.
Environmental observers say this leaves a critical gap in safeguarding fragile slopes, glaciers and snowfields in one of India’s most sensitive high-altitude regions.
Rare wildlife habitats under threat
Lahaul–Spiti is home to globally significant species including the snow leopard, Himalayan ibex, Himalayan brown bear and grey wolf. Conservationists warn that unmitigated construction pressure and diluted local conservation spending could irreversibly damage wildlife habitats and migration corridors.
“The ecological cost is local and irreversible, but the mitigation money is being redistributed elsewhere. That raises serious red flags,” a senior wildlife official said on condition of anonymity.
NGT move imminent
Thakur has warned that if the State government fails to intervene and restructure the WLMP to ensure 100 per cent utilisation within Lahaul–Spiti, the NGO will move the National Green Tribunal seeking judicial scrutiny of fund utilisation, approval processes and compliance with environmental clearances.
“We will ask the NGT to examine whether environmental safeguards have been reduced to a paperwork exercise, while the ground reality in Lahaul continues to deteriorate,” he said.
The development has placed the Shinkula Tunnel authority and the State Forest Department under intense scrutiny, with growing calls for an independent audit of WLMP and SMCP funds linked to the project and greater transparency in decision-making affecting tribal and high-altitude Himalayan region.