SC directs Himachal to fill questionnaire to help frame green guidelines

NEw DelhiThe sublime margaret court on tues directed the Himachal Pradesh authorities to respond to a go down of 44 questions under nine heads to assess the extent of environmental imbalance prevailing in the hill state as it proposed to issue guidelines next month to protect citizens and the fragile ecosystem from further damage.Dealing with a suo motu petition for protecting the people and ecology of the state that witnessed a spate of floods and landslides in the recent past, a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the state’s principal secretary of the Department of Forest to file a response before the matter is again heard on October 28.The order contains queries about the total forest cover, status of compensatory afforestation, existence of a climate change policy, disaster management plan, and designated eco-sensitive zones and ecological sites.Besides, the court also asked the state to file response with regard to the road construction projects along with landslide impact on highways, present and upcoming hydroelectric projects, number of mining operations/leases, details of hotels, resorts for tourists, restrictions on construction of multi-storeyed buildings and prosecutions against violators.The order said, “The questionnaire, so submitted by the learned amicus curiae is exhaustive and the answers thereto would be essential for carrying the matter forward. These responses would assist the Court in arriving at a considered decision for the purpose of framing guidelines/measures to protect the citizens at large and the fragile ecological system in the state of Himachal Pradesh.”The questions were prepared and submitted to the court last month by senior advocate K Parmeshwar who is assisting the court as amicus curiae. The court admitted that the problem is not unique to Himachal Pradesh alone as it said, “All the states in the Himalayan region are facing a serious existential crisis.”The suo motu proceedings were initiated on July 28 by a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan which flagged the fast-paced development in the hill state, blaming human greed behind the climate crisis in the state. The court went to the extent to suggest that if remedial measures are not taken immediately, the “state may vanish in thin air from the map of the country”.The order passed on Tuesday stressed that the responses from the state on the 44 questions are essential to frame guidelines which the court proposes to deal with on the next date of hearing.Earlier, the state had filed a response to the suo motu proceedings claiming that due to global warming and climate change, the state has suffered the most due to its unique geographical location. The response admitted shortcomings in the existing measures to contain the ecological damage and suggested that a committee can be constituted to formulate a comprehensive future action plan.