The National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a joint Committee and directed to disclose the names with full address of hotels owners/persons who are responsible for construction of road in Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve.
The Principal Bench comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahmed heard an application raising the grievance that some of the hotel owners with the support of the Forest Department by demolishing and cutting the reserve forest land located on the slanting hills in Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve in Budh-Pangot area of Nainital, Uttarakhand, have constructed the road.
It is alleged that the work of construction of road was done in 2017. Thereafter, widening of the said road had continued till December 2022 by cutting the forest land on the sides of this road in violation of the provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change dated 28.03.2019.
The Bench observed that the allegation made in the application reflects violation of environmental laws specially the scheduled acts and involves substantial question relating to environment.
Hence, at this stage, NGT deemed it proper to constitute a joint Committee comprising of Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEP&PCB) and District Magistrate, Nainital.
“The District Magistrate, Nainital will act as nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The Committee will visit the site, ascertain nature of the land on which the alleged road has been constructed, also ascertain name/other details of the trees, if any, felled in the process of construction of road and the extent of damage caused to the environment in the process and suggest remedial action, if any, for restoration. The Committee will also disclose the names with full address of hotels owners/persons who are responsible for construction of road”, the NGT directed while listing the matter on 11.12.2023.