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Timber logs in floodwaters alarm Supreme Court; asks Centre, states to respond
The SC underscored the gravity of the issue against the backdrop of devastation in the northern states caused by incessant rains, flash floods and cloudbursts
The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed alarm that rampant illegal tree felling appeared to be taking place across the fragile Himalayan belt, as it referred to videos of timber logs floating in the floodwaters of Himachal Pradesh.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, underscored the gravity of the issue against the backdrop of widespread devastation in the northern states caused by incessant rains, flash floods and cloudbursts.
“We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. From the media reports, it is also noticed that in the flood, a huge number of wooden logs were floating around. Prima facie, it appears that there has been illegal felling of trees which has been going on uphill,” the bench noted in its order, while hearing a public interest litigation on environmental degradation in the Himalayan region.
The court issued notice to the Union of India (through the Ministries of Environment and Jal Shakti), the National Disaster Management Authority, the National Highways Authority of India, and the governments of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
Orally addressing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta after the order, CJI Gavai stressed: “It is a serious issue. In the media we have seen that a large number of wooden logs are flowing around in Himachal and Uttarakhand. Illegal tree felling is going on...Villages after villages in Punjab are inundated.”
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Mehta assured the bench that he would immediately speak to the Environment Ministry Secretary to coordinate with state governments. “We have tinkered with nature so much that nature is responding with its fury now,” the SG said.
Responding, the bench remarked: “Development has to be there but it has to be sustainable development...there have to be adequate mitigating measures.”
The counsel for the petitioner, Anamika Rana, pointed to another dimension of the crisis, noting that there are 14 tunnels between Chandigarh and Manali, which become “death traps” during landslides in heavy rain. She referred to reports of nearly 300 people being stranded inside one such tunnel.
“We have noticed the seriousness of the matter,” the bench replied.
The petition, filed through advocate Shubham Upadhyay, has sought protection for the pristine ecology of the Himalayan states, while further demanding formation of judicial guidelines and an inquiry by a special investigation team to ward off future disasters.
The court’s concern comes at a time when large parts of northern India are reeling under the onslaught of extreme monsoon weather. In Himachal Pradesh alone, incessant rainfall and natural disasters triggered by flash floods and landslides have claimed more than 300 lives this season.
Punjab too has been battered, with at least 30 deaths and more than 3.54 lakh people affected by floods. Authorities have declared all 23 districts of the state flood-hit as rivers and reservoirs breached danger levels. Uttarakhand has suffered a series of cloudbursts and flash floods across Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, and Bageshwar districts, leaving several dead and dozens missing. Villages have been washed away, while bridges and key roads have collapsed under the fury of the monsoon.
