Shimla, Jan. 9 -- Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued stringent directives to state authorities to protect the Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary.
The orders were passed on January 7, 2026, in a batch of connected public interest litigations concerning the sanctuary's degradation.
The court took cognisance of a serious application highlighting rampant poaching and illegal cultivation within the wetland sanctuary.
The application, supported by photographs, alleged that poachers are using explosive substances coated with edible material to lure and kill birds and wildlife, which has also caused harm to cattle. It further detailed illegal farming activities on receding wetland areas inside the sanctuary's core limits, conducted without any chec...