Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The MP High Court has served notice to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over road construction activities near historical dam of Paramar Period, Kiratnagar which is considered as a protected site. The court has allowed an application to intervene in the suo motu petition related to a news report related to 488 trees axed by the PWD without permission for road widening in Raisen district.
Nitin Saxena a Bhopal based RTI activist has filed an application to intervene into the matter. A division bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf observed, ‘We note from the documents filed by the Intervener that proposed construction activity is being carried out in the vicinity of a protected monument i.e. Historical Dam of Paramar Period, Kiratnagar.
The court directed the State to furnish on affidavit whether any Tree Plantation Policy is in force in the State and if not, whether any steps have been taken to formulate it to preserve trees. The court took on record the affidavit filed by the respondents contending that permission was granted by the Collector on June 3, to translocate 448 trees and of the trees that could not be translocated 10 times the number of trees to be planted.
The court directed the respondents to file photographs along with GPS locations of each of the 253 trees that have been allegedly transplanted. The photographs placed on record of alleged transplanted trees show that none of the trees have been transplanted, rather the trees have been cut completely and the tree trunks have been put in the ground, some of which have started sprouting, however, the photographs do not indicate any of the trees having been re-transplanted.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest is directed to depute a Forest Officer to identify each of the alleged transplanted tree and to ascertain the status and health of the trees that have been allegedly transplanted.
