SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Centre, disaster management authorities and several state governments over the surge in landslides and flash floods across the Himalayan region, suggesting that unchecked deforestation has worsened the crisis, according to multiple national media reports.
As per Hindustan Times, bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai, with Justice K Vinod Chandran, issued notices to the Union Environment Ministry, National Disaster Management Authority, National Highways Authority of India and the governments of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The court said prima facie evidence, including visuals of timber carried downstream by floods, pointed to rampant illegal logging.
“Development must be balanced with environmental protection,” the Chief Justice observed, cautioning that repeated interference with nature has triggered catastrophic consequences. The bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to coordinate with the Environment Ministry and state chief secretaries to initiate remedial measures without delay, reports The Economic Times.
The court was hearing a petition filed by activist Anamika Rana through lawyer Akash Vashishtha, which seeks a special investigation team, a disaster prevention action plan, and an expert panel to probe the ecological damage caused by infrastructure projects in fragile Himalayan zones. The plea argues that both central and state authorities have failed in their duty to safeguard rivers and forests despite having statutory disaster management mechanisms.
The matter has been listed for further hearing in two weeks.
