New Delhi, Sep 24 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a cost of Rupee 1 on the Surveyor General of India for not complying with its order.
A Bench presided over by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava passed the order, noting that neither any response has been filed by the Surveyor General nor he was virtually present before the green tribunal in terms of its previous order.
“Though we were prompted to take strict action against him, at this stage we have restrained ourselves expecting that a high officer like Surveyor General, Survey of India will have some regard to the orders of the Courts and Tribunals,” it said.
The NGT was examining the issue of the felling of trees in the process of construction of the 111-km-long Kanwar Marg from Uttar Pradesh’s Muradnagar to Purkaji near the Uttarakhand border along the Upper Ganga canal.
Taking cognisance of the allegations that trees were felled much beyond the permitted width, the NGT had earlier directed the Survey of India to file the satellite image of the stretch under consideration showing the extent of trees which have been cut on both sides of the canal.
When its order was not complied with, in a hearing held on August 9, the NGT ordered to implead Survey of India as a respondent party and directed the Surveyor General to remain present virtually on the next date of hearing explaining the reason for non-compliance with its orders.
Further, the NGT ordered the formation of a high-powered joint committee to ascertain the extent of environmental damage caused or may be caused on account of the construction of the Kanwar Marg.
The panel comprising the Director, Forest Survey of India, senior scientist of at least Joint Secretary rank, Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and Meerut District Magistrate, was asked to ascertain allegations in respect of illegal felling of trees; if an alternate route exists and if without unnecessary felling of trees, some solution can be found.
The green tribunal had ordered the state authorities to ensure that no illegal felling of trees takes place beyond the permitted 15/20 meters width of the proposed road.
In its latest order, the NGT recorded Additional Advocate General (AAG) Garima Prasad’s statement that no felling of the trees will take place till the next date of the hearing.
AAG Prasad further informed that the work of construction of the Kawar Road had been suspended on account of ongoing rains, adding that the high-powered joint committee, in its interim report, sought a further three months for filing the final report.
The matter is listed for further hearing on October 4.
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