Prelims Focus 20th April 2026

20/04/2026

19 1 minute read

Mansar Lake

In News: On April 19, 2026, SSP Samba Anuj Kumar inspected security measures at Mansar Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on tourist safety and public order. The review included checking deployment patterns, surveillance, and access control points, along with a visit to the Police Post Mansar.

Key Aspects of the Security Review:

Comprehensive Inspection: The SSP assessed security, surveillance systems, and access points to strengthen the security grid.
Preventive Action: The move follows recent security alerts in the Samba area to bolster safety for tourists visiting the scenic lake.
Coordination: The police are focusing on maintaining high alert status and ensuring vigilance around critical tourist infrastructure.

Col Sher Jung National Park

In News: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has quashed a 2022 notification declaring areas around Simbalbara’s Col Sher Jung National Park in Sirmaur as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), granting relief to 19 villages across three Gram Panchayats—Bhatanwali, Patalia, and Behral. The bench (Justice V.S. Thakur and Justice Ranjan Sharma) cited serious procedural lapses, lack of expert committee recommendations, and no stakeholder consultation, ruling that mandatory guidelines were violated.

Key details regarding the judgement include:

Procedural Failures: The court found the 2020 proposal was finalized in 2022 without a fresh survey or valid recommendations from an expert committee (comprising ecologists, wildlife officials, and locals), making it legally flawed.
Expansion of Coverage: The final notification expanded the ESZ coverage from four villages in initial proposals to 19 villages without any recorded justification or justification study.
Impact on Stakeholders: The court emphasized that the notification significantly impacted the livelihood of residents and was done without consulting the affected Gram Panchayats.
Background: The decision, passed on April 16, 2026, allows a petition filed by the Gram Panchayats that argued against the arbitrary inclusion of their land.