Restore forest or face jail: SC
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Telangana government to restore the forest at Kancha Gachibowli near Hyderabad Central University. The apex court also warned that the Chief Secretary and other top officials could face imprisonment if the government failed to comply with its orders.
The apex court questioned the government for carrying out felling of trees in 400 acres of land during a long weekend in March without seeking environmental clearances from the government agencies concerned. The court made a serious observation that the damage to the environment must be compensated promptly to avoid legal consequences for the officials involved. The case was posted for further hearing on July 23.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai said: “We are putting you on guard, you are trying to defend such a thing- with all those officers involved, you will be in huge trouble. Taking advantage of a long weekend, you do all these things… have you seen those photographs?
Dozens of bulldozers were arranged. Prima facie, all this seems to be pre-planned”.
During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Telangana government, clarified that no significant work had been undertaken on the land.
In a quick response, the court directed the state government to provide a clear report on the steps being taken to restore the environmental damage and stressed that public rights and environmental protection should be given top priority in this matter.
Further, the court said that the case would be heard on July 23 after the State government submits a detailed report.
The authorities have been asked to comply with the environmental norms and take corrective actions immediately.
The Telangana government, which planned to auction 400 acres of costly land to establish IT parks in Kancha Gachibowli village, started felling trees in the land. Taking suo moto, the Supreme Court directed the Telangana government on April 3 to stop the deforestation activities in the thick forested area.
The court also asked the Telangana wildlife warden to take immediate steps to protect wildlife affected by the deforestation. A report prepared by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) already nailed the government for the indiscriminate felling of trees and the report was also submitted to the court recently.
