The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to Gujarat and Centre after a plea claimed that mangroves in Kutch district were being cleared by Deendayal Port Trust.
A Bench headed by judicial member Jawad Rahim on Wednesday issued show cause notices to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Gujarat State Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the State Forest Department.
The plea, filed by the Kachchh Camel Breeders Association, alleged that mangroves along coastal Gujarat were being cleared in a “rampant” manner by the authorities in violation of the provisions mentioned in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification of 2011.
Alleging that clearing of mangroves was adversely affecting marine ecology in the area, the petition, filed through senior advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, read, “Incessant destruction activities of the respondents have severely diminished the cover of sparse mangroves found at the said site, as well as destroyed the habitat of the indigenous Kharai camels, in addition to disrupting livelihoods of villagers dependent on these mangroves.”
The plea added that the Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Forest Department had failed to take preventive measures in checking “indiscriminate destruction of mangroves”.
The association urged the green court to issue directions to the authorities to rehabilitate the affected area. “Direct [Deendayal Port Trust] to ensure that no mangroves are cut within their premises in perpetuity as it is a CRZ-I area where it is prohibited to cut such mangroves” the petition read.
Taking into consideration the submissions made by the counsel appearing for the petitioner, the green panel said, “Regarding interim relief including the show cause to the interim relief to be filed within one week.”
