The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the petitions challenging the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order which upheld the validity of the forest clearances granted to the part of the larger Delhi-Dehradun Economic corridor project.
A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said that it will hear the matter on Monday.
The Court was hearing a plea filed by NGO Citizen for Green Doon. During the hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta remarked that not trusting an officer merely because he is a government servant would not be a correct approach.
NGO Citizen for Green Doon has raised the issue of the validity of diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes and cutting of trees for widening and elevated corridor construction for a part of NH 72A between Dehradun and Delhi.
NGO Citizen for Green Doon was represented by lawyer Ritwick Dutta. The plea, filed through advocate Srishti Agnihotri, challenged the judgment and order dated December 13, 2021 passed by the National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, whereby the Tribunal upheld the validity of the forest clearances granted to the project in question.
The Tribunal held that there was nothing to substantiate the Appellant's contention that there was non-application of mind by the authorities during the process of granting forest clearance.
The petitioner has questioned the improvement, upgradation and expansion of the existing 20 km stretch of NH72A between Ganeshpur and Dehradun, which is part of the larger Delhi-Dehradun Economic corridor, a highway project of 210 km which has been divided into four segments. The project in question has been further divided into two stretches by the user agency (the National Highways Authority of India).
The highway passes through the dense forest and wildlife-rich area of Shivalik Forest Division, Uttar Pradesh, in close vicinity of the Rajaji National Park. The proposal envisages converting an existing two-lane road into a four-lane road with a 25-metre carriageway and involves the construction of a tunnel as well.
The total amount of forest area proposed for diversion in the State of Uttar Pradesh is 47.7054 hectares of Protected and Reserve (part of the Uttar Pradesh Elephant Reserve) Forest area, the petition pointed out.
( With inputs from ANI )
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