New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and five others in a matter regarding the dumping of waste in the eco-sensitive area of Koksar in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti district.

The NGT was hearing a petition, according to which solid waste was being dumped and littered in Koksar by tourists and commercial establishments, without being disposed of, segregated or processed by the authorities concerned.

Also Read | India Space Mission: India Plans 30 Space Missions Including 'Commercial and Non-Commercial' in Next 14 Months From Indian Spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, Says Report.

It said the place, situated at an altitude of 5,484 metres (17,992.13 feet), was an "extremely ecologically sensitive zone," which remains frozen for over seven months each year.

A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said the plea raised a "substantial issue" regarding compliance with environmental acts.

Also Read | White Paper on Indian Economy: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tables White Paper on Economy in Lok Sabha (Watch Video).

"Issue notice to the respondents," the bench said in an order passed on Tuesday.

The respondents in the matter comprise the MoEFCC, the state of Himachal Pradesh, Central Pollution Control Board, the state Pollution Control Board, Deputy Commissioner Lahaul and Spiti and the village panchayat of Koksar.

Counsel for the applicant, Advocate Akash Vashishtha submitted that the dumping of waste by visitors or tourists was polluting the pristine streams and water channels, causing irreparable harm to the extremely fragile ecology of the Koksar area.

The matter has been posted on April 3 for further proceedings.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)