The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the Centre and others to a plea seeking an assessment of the carrying capacity and master plans of the Indian Himalayan Region spanning 13 states and union territories.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala issued notices to the Union of India, Ministry of Jal Shakti and others on a plea filed by a former IPS officer.
"Issue notice returnable in four weeks," the bench said.
As the hearing commenced, the top court expressed disinclination to entertain the plea and asked the petitioner to approach the National Green Tribunal.
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"Why don't you go before the NGT and highlight your grievances? It's a specialised adjudicatory forum where you can pursue your remedy," the bench told advocate Akash Vashishtha who was appearing for the petitioner.
The lawyer argued that there is a bar under Section 14 of the NGT Act as there has to be a specific case of environmental violation. On continued persistence of the lawyer, the bench issued a notice.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by Ashok Kumar Raghav seeking assessments of carrying capacity and master plans prepared for the Indian Himalayan Region.
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"Due to non-existent Carrying/Bearing Capacity studies, grave geological hazards in the form of landslides, land subsidence, land cracking and sinking issues such as that in Joshimath are being witnessed and serious ecological and environmental depredation are taking place in the hills," the plea said.
"Almost all hill stations, pilgrimage places and other tourism destinations spread over the Dhauladhar Circuit, Satluj Circuit, Beas Circuit and Tribal Circuit in Himachal Pradesh also remain hugely burdened and are almost on the brink of collapse with no carrying capacities assessed for any of the places in the state," the petition stated.