Intrusions reduce the size of Beas tributaries

The two main Beas tributaries that flow through Palampur, the Bhiral River and the Mol Khud, are becoming smaller every day as a result of extensive building and encroachment on their riverbeds.

The majority of these structures, along with their retaining walls, were constructed without the Palampur Municipal Corporation’s previous consent.

Even though they are aware of the situation, Palampur MC authorities have chosen to ignore the threat. Thus far, no legal action has been taken against the defaulters.

The town and the surrounding regions are seeing an increase in the construction of illegal structures on their riverbeds. At some places, the Bhiral khud has compressed to a height of 10–12 meters due to the unchecked encroachments. It appears that neither the local populace nor the Kangra government have taken any notice of the tragedy that struck the state during the previous monsoon, when numerous structures built next to bodies of water werehed away by floods, killing hundreds of people in the districts of Mandi, Shimla, and Kullu.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu that legislation will be passed to prevent unauthorized building on riverbeds. But it seems that this promise has only ever been kept in paperwork.

Hotels and retail centers are among the properties built on the Bhiral River and Mol Khud riverbeds.

The noticeable encroachments have often greatly reduced the width of the riverbeds.

The Tribune obtained information from the local tehsildar’s office that showed the rivers’ and rivulets’ widths had been accurately recorded in revenue records and that the riverbeds were either common lands or DC property.

People who are intruding into these properties are able to develop structures along riverbeds because they collaborate with authorities from the Revenue Department.

Riverbed encroachment is growing daily as a result of the department’s widespread corruption, which prevents any official from going to the location or demarcating the area.

The regions that belong to cremation sites on the riverbeds of these bodies of water have often not even been spared by the encroachers.

Since the Kangra valley experiences one of the country’s harshest monsoon seasons, there is still a very significant likelihood that these rivulets may experience flash floods.

As declared by the chief minister, local environmentalists K B Ralhan and Subhash Sharma believe that building near riverbeds ought to be prohibited. The environmentalists also said that prohibitions have to be enforced at least as far as the regions where riverbeds flood during monsoons.