Before the Hills Catch Fire: An Open Letter to the District Magistrates and Collectors of Tripura!!!
Biswanath Bhattacharjee
August 8, 2026
Respected District Magistrates and Collectors of Tripura,
Tripura is not merely a destination on a map; it is a living landscape of forests, hills, rivers, lakes, temples, archaeological memories, wildlife sanctuaries and indigenous cultures. From the mist-covered heights of Jampui Hills to the ancient silence of Unakoti, from the waters of Neermahal to the forests around Sepahijala, Dumboor Lake, Chabimura, Pilak and numerous eco-tourism sites, the State carries a natural and cultural inheritance of rare beauty.
Yet, along the very roads that lead visitors to this inheritance, a disturbing pattern has begun to take shape. Vehicles are stopped at highway edges, viewpoints, forest margins and undesignated parking spaces. LPG cylinders are placed beside dry grass. Firewood is gathered. Charcoal stoves and barbeque grills are lit. Meals are cooked under open sky, and when the travellers leave, the roadside is often left with food waste, plastic bottles, disposable plates, cups, aluminium foils and other refuse.
What appears, at first sight, to be a harmless picnic can quickly become a public hazard. Plastic and non-biodegradable waste remain long after the visitors have departed, contaminating soil and water, blocking natural drainage and injuring wildlife. Food waste draws stray animals and monkeys towards highways, increasing the risk of collisions and injuries. More alarming still, an unattended flame, a falling ember or a leaking cylinder near dry vegetation and forest edges can turn an ordinary roadside halt into a fire emergency.
The danger is quiet precisely because it is familiar. It does not arrive with warning signs. It begins with a matchstick, a disposable plate, a half-burnt coal, a bottle thrown into grass, and a belief that someone else will clean what has been left behind. By the time smoke rises from a hillside or animals gather on a roadway, the moment for easy prevention may already have passed.
The law already carries the lantern. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 empowers a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or specially empowered Executive Magistrate, in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger, to issue a written order directing any person to abstain from a certain act where immediate prevention or speedy remedy is desirable, particularly to prevent obstruction, annoyance or injury, danger to human life, health or safety, disturbance of public tranquillity, riot or affray. The provision also permits such orders to be directed to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place or area, and ordinarily limits their operation to two months unless extended by the State Government as provided by law.
This provision is not intended only for moments when disorder has already occurred; it is designed for situations where apprehended danger calls for immediate restraint. Roadside cooking with open flames, littering, obstruction of traffic, dumping of waste and degradation of sensitive tourist corridors are precisely the kinds of preventable acts that may justify timely administrative intervention.
In addition, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 recognises the need to protect and improve the environment and to prevent hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants and property. Other applicable legal and regulatory frameworks, including forest and wildlife laws, solid waste management norms, fire safety requirements, motor vehicle regulations and local police powers, collectively support action against activities that endanger public spaces, natural resources and public safety.
It is therefore respectfully requested that the District Magistrates and Collectors of Tripura may kindly consider issuing appropriate prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, covering National Highways, State Highways, major district roads leading to tourist destinations, viewpoints, parking areas, roadside lay-bys, forest stretches and other public places commonly visited by tourists.
Such orders may prohibit roadside cooking; use of LPG cylinders, charcoal stoves, firewood, barbeque grills or any open flame in undesignated public places; littering or dumping of food waste, plastic bottles, disposable utensils and other refuse; obstruction of traffic; and any activity likely to endanger public safety, damage vegetation, pollute water bodies or degrade the natural environment.
At the same time, designated picnic and resting zones may be identified wherever feasible, equipped with waste collection facilities, fire safety arrangements, public signage, regular monitoring and awareness measures. Such an approach would allow tourism to continue in a structured and responsible manner while preventing misuse of vulnerable roadside and forest-adjacent areas.
Tripura’s natural and cultural heritage is a shared public trust, not an expendable backdrop for careless recreation. Its forests do not complain when ash is scattered on their edges. Its lakes do not protest when plastic floats into their waters. Its roadside trees do not file reports when flames lick the dry grass beneath them. They simply absorb the damage until the damage becomes visible, and by then it is often too late.
The recent administrative example from Sohra, Meghalaya, where prohibitory action was reportedly taken to address roadside cooking, littering and open flames in public places, demonstrates that such preventive measures can be adopted in a reasonable and practical manner to safeguard public order, safety and the environment.
A timely order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 may prevent forest fires, reduce roadside waste, protect wildlife, maintain traffic safety and preserve the scenic character of Tripura’s tourist destinations. Such an order would not be an act of restriction, but an act of guardianship—an affirmation that public enjoyment must walk hand in hand with public responsibility.
It is humbly submitted that preventive action is most effective when taken before harm becomes irreversible. A single discarded bottle may seem insignificant. A single cooking fire may appear manageable. A single roadside gathering may look harmless. But when repeated across highways, forest stretches and tourist routes, these small acts become a pattern, and that pattern becomes a risk to the State’s environment, safety and reputation.
In view of the above, I earnestly request the concerned authorities to consider appropriate district-wise prohibitory orders and related enforcement measures at the earliest, in the larger public interest. The choice before us is still mercifully simple: to act while the roads are merely littered, or to wait until the hills themselves bear witness in smoke.
Summary of Key Legal Points!!!
• Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 empowers the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or specially empowered Executive Magistrate to issue written prohibitory orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger where immediate prevention or speedy remedy is necessary.
• The provision may be invoked to prevent obstruction, annoyance, injury, danger to human life, health or safety, disturbance of public tranquillity, riot or affray, and can apply to the public generally when frequenting or visiting a particular place or area.
• Roadside cooking with LPG cylinders, firewood, charcoal stoves, barbeque grills or other open flames in undesignated public places may create apprehended danger to public safety, traffic movement, nearby forests, vegetation and local communities.
• Littering, dumping of food waste, plastic bottles, disposable utensils and other refuse may attract preventive action as it harms public hygiene, wildlife, drainage systems, water bodies, tourist spaces and the broader environment.
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 supports preventive measures for protecting and improving the environment and preventing hazards to human beings, living creatures, plants and property.
• Applicable forest, wildlife, solid waste management, fire safety, motor vehicle and local police regulations further strengthen the legal basis for prohibiting activities that endanger public spaces, obstruct traffic or degrade natural resources.
• The requested district-wise prohibitory orders would therefore be preventive, proportionate and in the larger public interest, especially if accompanied by designated picnic zones, signage, waste collection facilities, monitoring and public awareness.
With sincere regards,
Biswanath Bhattacharya
A concerned citizen committed to sustainable tourism and environmental conservation.
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