Taking serious note of widespread devastation in three flood hit states of the country, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging illegal felling of trees as a key reason for such disasters, said that there have been unprecedented rains and flooding this year. The court issued notice to Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The CJI during the hearing asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to take note of the grim situation and ensure remedial steps.
The Supreme Court took devastating landslides and floods in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and sought responses from the central government, NDMA and the state governments.The Apex Court has also issued notices to seek response from the state governments of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
A top court bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran noted that it saw videos of timber logs floating in the floodwaters in Himachal Pradesh.
“We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. From the media reports it is noticed that in the flood a huge number of wood was flowing along. Prima facie it appears that there has been illegal felling of trees. Thus issue notice to respondents,” the CJI said.
The apex court was responding to a plea alleging that illegal tree felling was the main cause of such disasters. The matter has been listed for a hearing after two weeks. The Supreme Court issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI). The governments of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Punjab were also sent notices.
“Please take note of this. It appears to be a serious issue. A large number of wooden logs are seen to be falling around… it shows illegal felling of trees. We have seen pictures of Punjab. Entire fields and crops are inundated…Development has to be balanced with mitigating measures,” the CJI said.Mehta responded that he would speak to the Secretary of the environment ministry on the same to get in touch with the respective chief secretaries.
The plea, filed by Anamika Rana, has sought framing of an action plan and a special investigation team (SIT) inquiry into the reasons for landslides and flash floods, besides the measures to ensure that such disasters do not occur again.
“The Central and state governments, in spite of having dedicated Disaster Authorities, have no plan in place to prevent or mitigate the losses due to these disasters whose frequency has increased alarmingly of late,” it stated.The petition also sought the constitution of an independent expert committee to carry out geological, geo-technical or environmental/ecological investigation into all road/highway projects where landslides have occurred. It requested that the panel also assess the causes of floods and flash floods in rivers, rivulets, water courses, and channels in the Himalayan states, especially Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
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