Chandigarh: Taking up a petition challenging the cutting of around 12,000 trees in a proposed sector in Rohtak city of Haryana, Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday asked, “Why are you cutting these trees within Rohtak itself? You don’t want your children or your grandchildren to survive.“HC restrained Haryana govt from cutting more trees on a 38-acre green patch in Rohtak’s proposed Sector 6, and asked it to place on record all permissions, if any, granted for tree felling in the area.The court also sought assistance from the petitioner in this case to inform whether the matter needed to be sent to National Green Tribunal or it could be heard by HC for adjudication.“You are raising an environmental issue. Why can’t you go to NGT? You will have to satisfy this court about that,” observed a division bench comprising Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, while asking the petitioner to place on record any judgments of Supreme Court or precedent about HC’s jurisdiction to hear the matter.HC adjourned the matter for February, observing, “For the time being, the state authorities-respondents are restrained from cutting any further trees in the area.” A copy of the order was yet to be released till the filing of this report.The bench passed these orders while hearing a petition that submitted that more than 12,000 trees were being felled for commercial development in Rohtak city. HC was informed that the land was acquired in 2002 to carve out a sector for commercial exploitation but remained unused for over two decades during which a large forest developed in the area.The petition mentioned that the naturally grown forest spreads over 5 hectares and, as per Forest Conservation Act, 1980, permission from the authorities is required before cutting the trees. The petitioner produced photographs and said tree cutting had begun without mandatory clearance from the Centre.MSID:: 127711568 413 |
