SRINAGAR The J&K High Court on Friday issued a notice to government on a Public Interest Litigation, seeking directions to state functionaries and General Manager, Power Grid Corporation of India to halt cutting down of trees for laying Srinagar-Leh 220KV power transmission line in the Sindh forests.
A division bench of the court has asked the respondents to file response by or before September 24.
The petitioner, Lone Altaf of Ganderbal, submits that the transmission line could have been aligned on the sides of Nallah Sindh in such a way as to save forests and restore its charm and beauty. It appears to be a sorry state of affairs that respondents without assessing the impact of the said action on environment have bombarded the trees in the said forests, the said action of the respondents has a far reaching consequence and will jeopardise the entire ecology in the said forest area, he says.
He said clean and pollution free environment is a basic human right which inalienable and apex court in M.C Mehta vs Union of India has declared right to pollution free environment as a fundamental right guaranteed under article 21 of the constitution.
He said respondents have unprecedentedly violated this right of pollution free environment of entire human beings and in particular citizens of J&K by cutting down unprecedented number of trees (in thousands) and still counting in the Sindh Forests for laying 220KV Srinagar-LehPower Transmission line.
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