Shimla, Jan. 29 -- The National Green Tribunal (NGT), has awarded Rs.47.14 lakh as environmental compensation to Kushal Gupta, owner of Himalayan Trout Fish Farm, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, for damage caused due to illegal dumping of muck and debris during bridge construction over Haripur Nallah even when HPPWD and its contractor had tried to blame 2023 flash floods for damage.

"... it is established that the contractor had illegally thrown muck and debris in the Haripur Nallah during the course of construction of the bridge which had polluted the water flowing in the nallah and had caused damage to the trout fish farm on the downstream of the nallah resulting in death of thousands of fishes and destruction of fish eggs," ruled NGT while d...