Coming down heavily on the Uttarakhand government for the felling of trees and illegal construction in Jim Corbett National Park, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre to form a committee that will recommend steps to mitigate the damage and recover the cost from those responsible.
The bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice PK Mishra and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition by environment activist and lawyer Gaurav Bansal. Mr Bansal had challenged the Uttarakhand government's proposal for a tiger safari and a zoo with caged animals inside the national park. The matter brought under the spotlight illegal construction and deforestation inside the national park.
The bench started with a quote from the epic Mahabharata, which means that a forest protects the tiger and the tiger protects the forest.
A tiger safari in the core area, it said, will be contrary to the provisions of tiger conservation. The court allowed safari tours in the buffer zone of the popular national park, citing the employment it may generate. The court, however, noted that such a safari should follow the guidelines.
Pulling up then state minister Harak Singh Rawat and then divisional forest officer Kishan Chand, the court said this is a case where bureaucrats and politicians threw public trust doctrine in the waste bin.
"They have, in blatant disregard of the law and for commercial purposes, indulged in mass felling of trees to construct buildings on the pretext of promotion of tourism," the bench said, adding that it was "amazed at the audacity" in giving rules a go-by.
from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/RPOZHnL
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