The High Court of Sikkim has issued a strict four-week ultimatum to hotels operating in the popular tourist hubs of Lachen and Lachung.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque and Justice Bhaskar Raj Pradhan, warned that properties failing to halt the discharge of untreated sewage into streams feeding the Teesta River will face immediate closure.
The ruling follows a damning inspection report by the Sikkim State Legal Services Authority, which exposed a "very sorry state of affairs" where septic tanks were draining directly into open channels, jhoras, and the Lachen Chu and Lachung Chu rivers.
Taking cognisance of the severe ecological threat, the Court directed the Sikkim State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and district administrations to strictly enforce the mandate.
Additionally, the state government must identify locations across all six districts for new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) within three weeks.
The Court impleaded local traditional administrative bodies, the Dzumsas of Lachen and Lachung, alongside local Pipons to ensure ground-level accountability ahead of the next hearing on 28 October 2026.