19 hours Ago
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board (UKPCB) has issued notices to 13 hotels and five restaurants for allegedly discharging effluents into the Shipra river near Kainchi Dham , a popular pilgrim-age site located in the Kumaon hills, approximately 38 km from Nainital, reports Pankul Sharma. The site attracts large numbers of devotees who visit the ashram of Neeb Karori Baba, whose followers include Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, cricketer Virat Kohli and Apple's Steve Jobs. A team from the state pollution board recently camped at the site for three days, collected samples and then served notices to the hoteliers and restaurant owners on Saturday, granting them one month's time to file their response.
According to administrative sources, approximately 5,000 to 10,000 devotees visit Kainchi Dham daily, with numbers rising to nearly 20,000 on weekends, holidays and special days associated with the site. UKPCB officials said that 13 hotels operate near Kainchi Dham, with several others under construction. "Besides these hotels, five restaurants are also running there, and effluents from all 18 establishments are contaminating the Shipra river, harming the environment," an official said.
Anurag Negi, the pollution control board's regional officer, told TOI, "We have issued notices to under-construction hotels as they began work without obtaining the required no objection certificate from us. These establishments have been given one month to provide clarification, after which appropriate action will be taken as per regulations." The officer also raised concerns about the absence of a sewage treatment plant in Bhowali town.
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