Gulmarg, Sep 16, KNT: Questions are being raised over waste and sewage management in Gulmarg after government records showed that the tourist resort had a solid-waste treatment facility established years ago, while authorities are now pursuing fresh infrastructure involving tens of crores of rupees.

Records placed before the National Green Tribunal show that a 3-tonne-per-day solid-waste treatment plant was constructed at Gulmarg in 2018. The Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA) had also been allotted forest land for establishment of a solid-waste management plant.

The government records state that 0.125 hectares of forest land was diverted to the GDA in 2018 for the specific purpose of establishing the waste-management facility, subject to conditions attached to the forest-diversion approval.

The status and present utilization of the earlier facility, however, assume significance in light of the government’s current plans for additional waste and sewage infrastructure at the tourist resort.

In April this year, the government informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that a 2-million-litre-per-day sewage treatment plant for Gulmarg, estimated to cost ₹46.50 crore, had been approved, with execution proposed during 2026–27.

The government also stated that a detailed project report for a solid-waste treatment plant was under preparation.

The developments raise questions about the present functioning and capacity of the infrastructure established in 2018 and whether it has been sufficient to meet the resort’s waste-management requirements amid increasing tourist and commercial activity.

Gulmarg’s waste-management system as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust has also come under scrutiny in proceedings before the National Green Tribunal. In submissions before the Tribunal, the GDA referred to its existing waste-treatment arrangements and said the tourist influx after the Covid-19 period had created additional challenges in managing waste.

The GDA has also acknowledged that hotels and other establishments in Gulmarg are subject to building and environmental controls, including requirements relating to sewage treatment.

The fresh sewage project comes as Gulmarg continues to attract large numbers of tourists, placing additional pressure on water, sanitation and waste-management infrastructure.

The government has repeatedly emphasised the need to protect Gulmarg’s fragile mountain environment from the impact of tourism and commercial activity. However, the existence of an earlier waste-treatment plant, the proposed new sewage facility and the preparation of another solid-waste project raise questions about the adequacy, utilisation and long-term planning of the existing system.

The available records do not establish that the 2018 facility is non-functional, nor do they establish that the proposed ₹46.50-crore project duplicates the earlier infrastructure. The present operational status of the 3-tonne plant and the reasons for proposing additional facilities have not been clearly detailed in the records reviewed.

Stakeholders said that the GDA and concerned authorities need to clarify the current operational capacity of the existing plant, the quantity of waste presently generated and treated in Gulmarg, and how the proposed new facilities will address the resort’s present and projected requirements. [KNT]

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