The Himachal Pradesh High Court today stayed all orders passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the matter pertaining to felling of trees for the purpose of four lane NH-22 (Parwanoo – Shimla). The Division Bench Comprising Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia passed these orders in a petition filed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The Court further stated that all the proceedings pending before the Tribunal in this regard shall be stayed.
While issuing the notice to State as well as the Central Government, the Court also directed the respondents to file its response within eight weeks. The National Highway Authority has challenged the Suo-moto orders passed by the Green Tribunal whereby the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the State Government to file personal Affidavit of Project Director stating as to how many trees they have already cut on the route of Solan to Parwanoo. The Tribunal had also directed that no further trees would be cut in excess of the permission granted.
The petitioner authority has alleged in the petition that State Supported Agreement was executed between the Petitioner and Government of Himachal Pradesh, pursuant to which the petitioner took up the project of widening and up gradation of existing NH-22 to four lane. On the request of the State Government, under the State Supported Agreement, the petitioner undertook the exercise towards conceiving the project of four laning of the road in question, identifying the lands involved, the land owner, the routes, deliberating over all aspects of the projects, in particular over the survey which finally got approved by the experts. The petitioner has further alleged in the petition that on 16.05.2007 the Environment Clearance was also granted to the project by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi.
