The High Court of Uttarakhand has ordered a stay on cutting of trees on 222 hectare green belt at Veerpur Khurd area in Rishikesh for the resettlement of those displaced by construction of the Tehri dam. The high court division bench of chief justice KM Joseph and justice Sharad Sharma has ordered a stay till June 27. The case will be taken up for hearing next on June 27 by which time the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) India limited has been told to submit its reply in the court.
According to the case details, Veerpur Khurd resident and social worker Vibha Devi had filed a public interest litigation in the high court stating that 222.60 hectare land in the green belt at Veerpur Khurd had been given to THDCIl for a period of 99 years on the basis of 16 conditions.
One of these conditions states that an equal number of trees would be planted to compensate for the trees axed for the construction work. About 90 per cent of the construction work has been completed by the company has not planted even a single tree so far, the petitioner stated. The activist had earlier complained about this to the lokayukta from where directions were issued to the government and THDCIl to plant trees. However, even the lokayukta's directions were not complied with by the government and THDCIl, following which the activist filed a PIl in the high court. After hearing the petition, the division bench of the high court ordered a stay of felling of trees in the said area till June 27.
The THDCIl has also been directed to file its reply in the high court by this date. The case will be taken up for hearing next on June 27.