The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered the Mussoorie municipality not to cut any trees without getting prior permission from the forest department. The court also asked the state government and other parties to submit their responses in the matter.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay was hearing a petition on Wednesday alleging that several Oak trees located in a notified forest area of Husain Ganj in Mussoorie were being cut.
The petitioner, Pravesh Singh Rana, informed the court that the trees were being felled as part of a road widening project undertaken by the municipality. The court directed all concerned parties to file their replies within three weeks.
The state government told the court that an inspection carried out by the Mussoorie forest range officer on March 13 found that four Oak trees and three other trees had been cut without obtaining the required permission from the competent authority.
Authorities informed the court that challans had been issued against those responsible. Cases have been registered, and an investigation into the illegal felling is currently in progress.
The municipality submitted that the road widening work has been stopped until the investigation into the incident is completed. The court reiterated that no tree should be cut without proper approval from the competent authority. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for April 27.
Also read: CM Dhami says won't tolerate crime in Uttarakhand
Follow us
