MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed notice to the district authorities in Kanniyakumari in connection with a public interest litigation petition which sought an enquiry into permission granted for laying a concrete road in a reserve forest area in the district, which is now mainly used by a college.
A Division Bench of Justices M. Venugopal and Abdul Quddhose ordered the district authorities to file their counters within two weeks.
The petitioner, T.P. David Dhas, said the district authorities had allowed laying of the concrete road in the reserve forest from Kadayalumoodu-Arukani Road to Maruthamparai on the pretext of benefiting tribal people and traditional forest dwellers. However, the permission for the road was given without the Centre’s concurrence.
The petitioner also said the college building was constructed there without getting clearance from the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). Also, permission was not obtained from the Fire and Rescue Services Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Directorate of Town and Country Planning. The road also had a drainage along its side walls, said the petitioner.
Under the Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, forest land could not be used for ‘non-forest purpose’, and Section 3B of the Act stated that any government official found guilty of such an offence should be punished under the law.
The petitioner said a thorough enquiry should be conducted into the permission granted for laying the road, and it should be demolished.
Though representations were sent to the Ministry of Forests and Environment and State Forest Department and other officials concerned in this regard, no action was taken, he claimed.
