New Delhi, Sept. 4 — The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Centre, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and other authorities over alleged illegal felling of trees in the Himalayan region, following videos showing timber logs floating in floodwaters.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran observed, “We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. From media reports, it is noticed that in the flood, huge numbers of wooden logs were flowing along. Prima facie, it appears there has been illegal felling of the trees which has been going on…”
CJI Gavai further said, “We have seen pictures of Punjab… entire fields and crops are inundated. Development has to be balanced with mitigating measures,” and posted the matter for hearing in two weeks.
The PIL was filed by environmentalist Anamika Rana, highlighting environmental degradation in the Himalayan region. The Court termed the issue “very serious” and requested Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to instruct the Union Environment Secretary to coordinate with the chief secretaries of the states concerned.
“We have interfered with nature so much that nature is giving back now. I will speak to the secretary of the Environment Ministry and he will speak to Chief Secretaries. It cannot be permitted,” Mehta told the Bench, adding he would speak to the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Thursday itself.
The petitioner’s counsel also raised concerns about safety along highways, citing 14 tunnels between Chandigarh and Manali that become near-death traps during landslides caused by heavy rains. He referred to a media report in which 300 people were stranded in a tunnel.
In addition to the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Court issued notices to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, National Disaster Management Authority, and National Highway Authority of India.
Videos circulating in recent weeks showing large numbers of timber logs floating downstream in the Ravi River have raised concerns about organised illegal felling. Similar videos appeared in June from the Pandoh Dam reservoir in Mandi district, following flash floods in Gadsa and Sainj valleys of Kullu district.
Rana’s PIL seeks guidelines to prevent ecological disasters in the Himalayan region, noting recurring landslides, cloudbursts, and flash floods in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
