The
Tribune: Shimla: Wednesday, 05 May 2021.
The HP High Court has stayed all permissions of felling/lopping of trees in the Shimla Municipal area.
Taking a serious note on the issue of illegally felling of green trees within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation (MC), Shimla, the court issued notices to the state government and the MC, Shimla.
Passing the interim order, the court clarified that the order would not be applicable to the Electricity Department of Himachal Pradesh.
Passing this order, the court also directed the state government to inform the court about the status of felling of trees. After hearing the matter through video conference, the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 12. Till then the court has stayed all the permissions granted for felling of trees.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice L Narayana Swami and Justice Anoop Chitkara passed this order on a PIL filed by Dimple Oberoi Vahali alleging therein that the state authority has granted permission for felling of trees in the MC area by flouting the orders passed by the court from time to time.
She further contended that as per the information collected by her through RTI, it emerged that neither the authorities had followed the procedure established by law nor had the directions passed by various courts been adhered and complied thereto before granting the permission.
It was further contended that as per RTI, from the year 2019 to 2021, as many as 155 trees had fallen, 305 had dried up, 900 were damaged by lopping, 141 healthy green trees termed as dangerous felled and 145 green trees had been felled as they posed hurdle in construction of buildings or widening of roads or laying electrical lines. In all, from 2019 to 2021, as many as 1,646 trees had been chopped from the forest cover within the jurisdiction of MC Shimla on one or the other grounds and by circumventing the statutory laws. No new plantation had been directed by the government authorities or the private land holders till date.
She urged the court that to quash and set aside the permissions granted by Tree Committee for felling of trees. She further prayed that the state authorities be restrained from furthering the process of illegal felling of green trees or granting permission in future without the leave of the court in the garb of dangerous trees, or widening of existing roads in jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation, Shimla.
The HP High Court has stayed all permissions of felling/lopping of trees in the Shimla Municipal area.
Taking a serious note on the issue of illegally felling of green trees within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation (MC), Shimla, the court issued notices to the state government and the MC, Shimla.
Passing the interim order, the court clarified that the order would not be applicable to the Electricity Department of Himachal Pradesh.
Passing this order, the court also directed the state government to inform the court about the status of felling of trees. After hearing the matter through video conference, the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 12. Till then the court has stayed all the permissions granted for felling of trees.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice L Narayana Swami and Justice Anoop Chitkara passed this order on a PIL filed by Dimple Oberoi Vahali alleging therein that the state authority has granted permission for felling of trees in the MC area by flouting the orders passed by the court from time to time.
She further contended that as per the information collected by her through RTI, it emerged that neither the authorities had followed the procedure established by law nor had the directions passed by various courts been adhered and complied thereto before granting the permission.
It was further contended that as per RTI, from the year 2019 to 2021, as many as 155 trees had fallen, 305 had dried up, 900 were damaged by lopping, 141 healthy green trees termed as dangerous felled and 145 green trees had been felled as they posed hurdle in construction of buildings or widening of roads or laying electrical lines. In all, from 2019 to 2021, as many as 1,646 trees had been chopped from the forest cover within the jurisdiction of MC Shimla on one or the other grounds and by circumventing the statutory laws. No new plantation had been directed by the government authorities or the private land holders till date.
She urged the court that to quash and set aside the permissions granted by Tree Committee for felling of trees. She further prayed that the state authorities be restrained from furthering the process of illegal felling of green trees or granting permission in future without the leave of the court in the garb of dangerous trees, or widening of existing roads in jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation, Shimla.
.JPG)
.JPG)
