GANGTOK, Oct 18: The Mangan district administration in Sikkim has directed businesses, government institutions and property owners to stop discharging sewage, wastewater and other effluents into local jhoras and water sources within seven days, warning of closures, fines and legal action for non-compliance.
The directive was issued on October 17 by Mangan District Collector-cum-Magistrate Anant Jain in compliance with the Sikkim High Court’s orders in WP(PIL) No. 10 of 2026, In Re: Accumulation of Garbage and Wastes in Farmland.
In its October 14 order, the High Court directed the state government to take immediate steps to prevent sewage from flowing into rivers and jhoras and summoned the Mangan District Collector to appear before it on October 28. An earlier order on September 29 had made the Collector a respondent after an Amicus Curiae report highlighted overflowing septic tanks and greywater outlets.
Joint inspections by special monitoring cells on October 16 and 17 detected several instances of pollution, including reddish effluent and waste entering Rimit Khola, overflowing septic tanks at government institutions and wastewater flowing into Rafong Khola jhora.
The order designated the Municipal Executive Officer of Mangan Nagar Panchayat as the nodal officer for enforcement in urban areas, while the Additional District Collector (Development) will oversee compliance in rural areas.
Meat, fish and poultry shops, restaurants and food godown operators discharging wastewater into Rimit Khola have been directed to remove outlets leading to the waterbody and install soak-pit-based systems for greywater disposal within seven days of receiving the order. Establishments that fail to initiate corrective measures may be closed until the municipal executive officer certifies compliance.
The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department has been ordered to stop effluent discharge from the Mangan slaughterhouse into Rimit Khola and ensure safe waste disposal within seven days. Non-compliance could result in the facility’s closure. The department must also arrange alternative slaughter facilities and submit a time-bound plan for treating liquid and solid waste.
Three government institutions — the District Administrative Centre, also known as the Yellow Building, the District Hospital and North Sikkim Academy — have been directed to desludge their septic tanks within seven days using the vehicle designated by the Nagar Panchayat.
Planter’s Hotel in Power Colony Ward must remove the pipeline discharging greywater into Rimit jhora and install a decentralised soak-pit system within the stipulated period.
The administration has also targeted leaking septic tanks along Rinzing Namgyal Kazi Marg. Owners of premises found to have leaking tanks must use the Nagar Panchayat’s desludging facility within seven days. The municipal executive officer must serve notices, maintain a list of affected properties and arrange routine desludging on a zone-wise basis. Owners whose septic tanks discharge directly into jhoras will face fines under applicable municipal bye-laws.
In rural areas, the order requires the property owner and trade licence holder identified near a garage along Rafong Khola jhora to stop discharging garage waste, greywater and greasy material into the waterbody and clear accumulated waste within seven days.
The North District Milk Union has been directed to repair its non-functional greywater management structure and ensure proper wastewater disposal within the same period.
At another location along Rafong Khola jhora near Apna Bazar, the property owner and two trade licence holders named in the order must stop discharging blackwater and greywater and provide a septic tank or soak-pit arrangement. The order also calls for legal action in the matter.
The Additional District Collector (Development) will coordinate rural enforcement, including the imposition of fines by the concerned Gram Panchayat or competent authority under the Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1993.
Urban violations will attract penalties under applicable municipal bye-laws, while rural violations will be dealt with under relevant panchayat provisions. Serious cases may be referred to the Sikkim State Pollution Control Board for penalties and environmental compensation under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, in accordance with the polluter-pays principle.
The order stipulates that the concerned parties must be given an opportunity to be heard before fines are imposed. However, payment of a fine will not exempt them from completing the mandatory corrective work.
The Municipal Executive Officer and the Additional District Collector (Development) must serve the order on all named parties within 24 hours. Follow-up inspections will take place after the seven-day compliance period, with reports containing geo-tagged before-and-after photographs to be submitted by October 26.
The reports will be placed before the High Court on October 28. The Station House Officer of Mangan Police Station has been directed to assist in serving notices and enforcing closures wherever necessary.
The administration has warned that unsatisfactory compliance could lead to proceedings under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, as well as referrals to the State Pollution Control Board.
In a separate direction issued on October 14 in the same public interest litigation, the High Court warned that hotels in Lachen and Lachung would be closed if they failed to comply with its directions within four weeks.
The matter is scheduled to come up before the High Court again on October 28.
