Sustainable Development with Special Study of Himachal Pradesh

Authors

  • Karan Singh Guleria Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31305/rrjss.2025.v05.n01.050

Keywords:

Sustainable development, Himachal Pradesh, environment, climate change, tourism, hydropower, forests, constitutional law

Abstract

Sustainable development is a balanced idea of development. It does not reject economic growth, but it insists that growth should not destroy nature, public health, social justice and the rights of future generations. In India, sustainable development has received constitutional and judicial recognition through Article 21, Article 48A and Article 51A(g) of the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court has also treated sustainable development as part of Indian environmental law. Himachal Pradesh is an important state for the study of sustainable development because it is a Himalayan state with rich forests, rivers, biodiversity, tourism potential and hydropower resources. At the same time, it is ecologically fragile and vulnerable to landslides, floods, cloudbursts, forest degradation, unplanned construction and climate change. This article studies the meaning, legal basis and practical importance of sustainable development with special reference to Himachal Pradesh. It argues that Himachal Pradesh needs a mountain-sensitive model of development based on ecological protection, disaster-resilient planning, responsible tourism, strict environmental regulation and local community participation.

References

World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future 43 (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987).

The Constitution of India, art. 21.

Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, AIR 1991 SC 420.

The Constitution of India, art. 48A.

The Constitution of India, art. 51A(g).

United Nations, Report of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 5-16 June 1972, U.N. Doc. A/CONF.48/14/Rev.1 (1973).

World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future 43 (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1987).

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, U.N. Doc. A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I) (1992).

United Nations General Assembly, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, U.N. Doc. A/RES/70/1 (2015).

NITI Aayog, SDG India Index 2023-24 (Government of India, New Delhi, 2024).

The Constitution of India, art. 21.

M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 1086.

The Constitution of India, art. 48A.

The Constitution of India, art. 51A(g).

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (Act 29 of 1986), s. 3.

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (Act 69 of 1980), s. 2.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Act 53 of 1972).

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (Act 6 of 1974); The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (Act 14 of 1981).

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (Act 18 of 2003).

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Act 53 of 2005).

Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India, AIR 1996 SC 2715.

Ibid.

M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, (1997) 1 SCC 388.

N.D. Jayal v. Union of India, (2004) 9 SCC 362.

Ibid.

Sphere India, Situation Assessment Report: Himachal Pradesh Floods July 2023 (2023).

Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Government of Himachal Pradesh, State Action Plan on Climate Change (Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla).

M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, (1997) 1 SCC 388.

The Himachal Pradesh Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995.

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (Act 6 of 1974).

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Act 53 of 2005).

Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of India, AIR 1996 SC 2715.

Ibid.

Ibid.

M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, (1997) 1 SCC 388.

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Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Guleria, K. S. (2025). Sustainable Development with Special Study of Himachal Pradesh . Research Review Journal of Social Science , 5(1), 443-451. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrjss.2025.v05.n01.050