Meghalaya HC Halts Tree Felling in East Khasi Hills, Seeks Compliance Report

EAST KHASI HILLS: The Meghalaya High Court has instructed the state government to temporarily suspend the felling of trees in and around the Lower New Colony area of Laitumkhrah, as well as throughout the East Khasi Hills district. The directive came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) aimed at halting illegal or improper tree felling practices.

The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh, ordered the state government to disclose all pending applications for tree felling. The applications must be processed and resolved in strict accordance with the Meghalaya Tree (Preservation) Act, 1976, and the Meghalaya Tree (Preservation) Rules, 1976.

The court further instructed the government to submit an affidavit detailing the status of each application, the procedures followed, and the outcome of any pending requests. The government has been given until February 28 to file this information, with a copy to be served on the Advocate-on-Record for the petitioner.

Additionally, the Nagar Van Yojana (NVJ) scheme, introduced by the Government of India in 2020, places restrictions on tree cutting and encourages urban forestry. The petitioner argued that the state had been felling trees without adhering to the prescribed procedures. nThe next hearing for the PIL is scheduled for March 5, 2025.

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