Tanvi Sinha
Taking cognizance of PILs filed by some law student, the Allahabad High Court sought answers from the UP government, regarding the cutting of trees for building a road.
The PIL, that was heard before a division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery.
The petition speaks about the felling of trees planned on doing by the UP government for the development of the city of Prayagraj and nearby areas, to widen roads.
On 2nd December last year, another similar case was brought to the Supreme Court where CJI Bobde had instructed the UP government to make roads around trees instead of felling trees.
The SC had told the state government that the value of living trees that produce oxygen for people to breathe could not be evaluated in terms of just timber.
He also said that such a thing could help with the possibility of decreasing accidents as cars would have to drive slowly in such paths.
The present petition, taken up by law student Ayush Kumar Srivastava and 9 other persons, asked the high court to direct the DM to not give permission for the development plans of the state in as long as a proper scheme to protect the wildlife has not been meted out.
They also asked the court to consider the case of TN Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India & Ors., (2013)11 SCC 466 where the SC had said that any felling of trees in the case should be backed with the plantation of twice the amount of trees.
Last year the HC had asked the government on a detailed report explaining the wildlife surround the roads of Prayagraj.
With this, the bench allowed the state some time to satisfy their directions with the government insuring them that no project would be undertaken before a plan for plantation of trees for compensation was drafted.
The matter will be heard again on February 3rd of the same year.
