Kullu: The Himachal Pradesh forest department’s move to divert more than 50% of the wildlife management fund, released by the Union govt under the strategically important Shinku La tunnel project for the Lahaul Spiti district, snowballed into a major controversy, with locals threatening to approach the court. As part of the Shinku La tunnel project, the Centre sanctioned a total of Rs 14.06 crore under the Wildlife Management Plan (WLMP) and Soil Moisture Conservation Plan (SMCP) for the preservation and conservation of wildlife, in view of the impacts the ongoing tunnelling work might have on the wildlife and vegetation cover in the surroundings of the pass that connects Lahaul Spiti with the Zanskar region of Ladakh. However, the forest department secretly proposed to divert Rs 7.83 crore, or 55.7% of the total sanctioned amount, for utilisation outside Lahaul and Spiti district, even though the ecological impact of the project is largely confined to the tribal district. According to the proposal, the remaining Rs 6.23 crore, or 44.3% of the total amount, will be spent in Lahaul Spiti.Demanding immediate cancellation of the proposed misallocation, Sudarshan Thakur, an advocate and the president of the Gramin Yuva Sangathan (GVS), a Lahaul Spiti-based NGO of rural youths that works for tribal rights and environmental protection, wrote to Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) minister Bhupender Yadav, stating the fund diversion is a clear violation of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) and MoEFCC guidelines.Thakur also apprised the Principal Accountant General (A&E), Himachal Pradesh, seeking intervention in the matter. Following the GVS complaint, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Ralte Lalnun Sanga, in Dec 2025, directed the Lahaul Spiti Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Indrajeet Sirra to file a report on the diversion of funds. After Sirra confirmed to Sanga that the funds were indeed proposed to be diverted in a communication dated Dec 27, 2025, the latter, last month on January 28, wrote a letter to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Sood, intimating him about the issue while remarking that “any reallocation of funds may be examined”.According to Thakur, the diversion of WLMP funds to areas other than the project-affected area defeats the basic principle of compensatory conservation and violates conditions imposed during forest clearance. “It’s an attempt to steal funds meant for the eco-sensitive and fragile Lahaul Spiti and use them elsewhere. Such a fund diversion will deprive Lahaul of its rightful environmental safeguards,” said Thakur. He added that there should be an independent review of WLMP and SMCP allocations, public disclosure of expenditure details, and strict utilisation of funds within the actual project-affected area. “We would approach the courts if any diversion of funds is carried out. Lahaul is not merely a project site but a tribal heritage landscape and a biodiversity hotspot of the cold desert ecosystem. Development cannot come at the cost of environmental injustice,” said Thakur.Being built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an estimated cost of Rs 1681 crore at an altitude of around 15,800 feet, the 4.1-km twin-tube tunnel will be the highest in the world upon completion. According to experts, construction activities, especially blasting during the tunnelling work, would not only adversely impact the wildlife but might also pose a risk of glacier destabilisation in the surrounding areas. Experts also point out that Lahaul–Spiti is home to protected species such as the snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, ibex and grey wolf, and that tunnel construction and associated activities pose long-term risks to wildlife corridors and habitat integrity.“Lahaul Spiti is an alpine zone and is home to precious animal species, birds and rare herbs. We need to be ready for the aftermath of the Shinku La tunnel construction and require defined plans for the preservation of animal species. The soil and vegetation cover will also be disturbed due to the tunnelling work. This is precisely why the WLMP and SMCP funds must be utilised in the project-affected areas of Lahaul Spiti only, and not, say, in Una or Kangra,” said Shah Chand Thakur, a wildlife expert and former divisional forest officer (DFO) with the HP Forest Department. “The fact that a cash-strapped Himachal govt is trying to scoop out a major chunk of a fund meant for a particular project is highly objectionable. If a fund was sanctioned for a particular project, then you can’t divert it to other works,” added Thakur. MSID: 128203039 413 |
