‘Submit report on forest area encroachment’

NGT raps govt. for inaction, directs Chief Secretary to comply

July 05, 2019 01:37 am | Updated 01:37 am IST - NEW DELHI

Following a plea seeking remedial action against unauthorised construction on a forest land in south Delhi, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) pulled up the Delhi government over inaction to curb the same.

A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted that an order passed in December 2015 in the matter had not been complied with.

The Bench took note of a status report filed by the SDM, Mehrauli, that said removal of encroachments was to begin in August 2017 but there were “difficulties” as approximately 3,000 people had encroached into the forest land.

Directing State government officials to provide relevant information, The Bench said, “Let a status report about the compliance of the order of this tribunal be furnished by the Chief Secretary, Delhi, after gathering relevant information from the officers concerned.”

The Bench added, “We may only add that so long as the order of this tribunal stands, the same must be carried out and illegality cannot be defended on the ground of alleged difficulty in carrying out a lawful order by a State committed to the rule of law. Otherwise, there [will] be chaos all around.”

The directions came when the tribunal was hearing a plea moved by south Delhi resident Amarjit Singh Nalwa who sought execution of the 2015 order that had directed authorities to ensure removal of encroachments from the said land. It had also directed officials to curb illegal and non-forest activities in the area.

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