OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The eastern zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) at Kolkata has taken suo motu cognizance of alleged illegal road construction in environmentally sensitive catchment areas of Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh, following a report published in a local English daily last year.
The bench, comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, examined the news report of 22 April last year, which alleged that road construction activities were being carried out in sensitive catchment stretches between Ganga-Taipu and Ganga-Tago without proper environmental safeguards.
Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the Tribunal observed that the presence of the State of Arunachal Pradesh, through the Principal Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, and the Public Works Department, through its Secretary and Commissioner, was necessary for effective adjudication.
Accordingly, both were impleaded as respondent numbers five and six in the matter.
The Tribunal directed all respondents to submit their replies within one month.
On an interlocutory application filed by S D Loda and Techi Tat seeking to be impleaded as co-applicants, the bench clarified that since the case was initiated suo motu, co-applicant status could not be granted. However, it allowed them to assist the Tribunal by placing relevant materials on record and making oral submissions during the hearings.
The matter has been posted for further consideration on 27 March.
According to the report carried by the local English daily, the alleged road construction had raised concerns among environmental observers and residents due to the fragile nature of the catchment areas involved.
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