E-Paper
NGT takes suo-motu notice of HT’s Mirzapur forest report
The National Green Tribunal has taken suo-motu notice of a report in Hindustan Times titled “Experts flag large-scale clearing of vegetation in Mirzapur forest” and impleaded a number of authorities in the matter.
The National Green Tribunal has taken suo-motu notice of a report in Hindustan Times titled “Experts flag large-scale clearing of vegetation in Mirzapur forest” and impleaded a number of authorities in the matter.
In an order dated July 23, the principal bench of NGT issued notices to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Uttar Pradesh; Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttar Pradesh; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, through its Regional Office; and the district magistrate, Mirzapur.
“This Original Application is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled “Experts flag large-scale clearing of vegetation in Mirzapur forest” appearing in The Hindustan Times dated 03.07.2024,” the order said.
“The matter relates to the large scale clearing of a deemed forest area in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh for a thermal power project being developed by the Adani Group. As per the article, environmentalists have highlighted large-scale clearing of vegetation using heavy machinery, and construction of roads and other structures in a forested area adjoining Dadri Khurd in Marihan Range of Mirzapur Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh,” the order said. It added: “The article states that the area was to be notified a forest in 1952, but wasn’t, and now risks being developed under the terms of The Forest Conservation Amendment Act or the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 2023 which exempts unrecorded deemed forests altogether from its purview, paving way for their diversion for various infrastructure and other projects”.
“The article highlights that this area is part of the proposed Sloth Bear Conservation Reserve and is a crucial habitat for exceptionally rich and threatened wildlife of the savannah and tropical dry deciduous hill forests of the unique Vindhyan-Kaimoor ecosystem. This ecosystem also includes at least 24 terrestrial animals listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” the order recalled.
It states that the article also brings to light that the same site was once proposed for a 1320 MW Coal-based Thermal Power Plant by M/S Welspun Energy UP) Pvt Ltd, which was later transferred to Mirzapur Energy (UP) Pvt Ltd. When the project was still with Welspun Energy, its environmental clearance was set aside by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal in Debadityo Sinha v. Union of India on December 21 2016, with a direction to restore the site to its original condition.
“The news item raises substantial issue relating to compliance of the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment. Power of the Tribunal to take up the matter suo-motu has been recognized by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of “Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai vs. Ankita Sinha & Ors.” reported in 2021,” the order said, posting the next hearing for October 25.
