Centre's forest-related queries must be answered: SC to HP, UT

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-09-04 09:41:05 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-04 11:45:37

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The Supreme Court on Thursday called for responses from the Centre and the panel on the board of environment conservation (BEC) on the handling of forest-related issues amid the ongoing unprecedented climate events in northern India.

The court was hearing a petition filed by an NGO, Environment Conservation Group, seeking directions to plead for more measures to control the disaster situation in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir, where intense rains and landslides have led to considerable damage to life and property.

The apex court, which asked the Centre to file a response in the case within two weeks, is expected to take up the matter again for further hearing on August 25.

The court also appointed amicus curiae Raj Panjwani to assist the court in the case.

The Environment Conservation Group, in its petition, argued that large-scale deforestation had resulted in increased floods and landslides. It also urged the court to declare the existing mechanism for monitoring and ensuring compliance with environmentally protective measures and the ecological carrying capacity of the area under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, as unconstitutional and inconsistent with the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

The plea further sought appropriate directives to frame guidelines for the preservation and protection of forest lands and prevention of encroachment and illegal activities on them.

Only timely and proper management of forests can help prevent such disasters, the petition stated.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in a meeting on May 31, 2022, had noted that cloudbursts and landslides have become more frequent in Hilly States, including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in the last decade, and recommended auditing suburban areas for landslide susceptibility.

The Himalayan States have been witnessing frequent landslides and cloudburst events over the past decade, causing severe damages and loss of life, it noted.

The NDMA had said that the frequency of such events may be due to the enhanced concentration of rainfall in short periods and the loose nature of the soils in these areas due to prolonged dry spells.

It had advised all the States to undertake immediate auditing of suburban areas for susceptibility to landslides and to prioritize disaster preparedness and response in the hill districts in view of the recurring events in the recent past.

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