Wednesday, 12 April 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Panchayati Raj secretary to probe and submit an affidavit in court regarding permission granted for cutting more than the required number of trees for building a Haat Bazaar in Vikasnagar. The court has also asked the divisional forest officer to submit his reply within three weeks on as to why permission was granted for cutting 121 trees when only 16 were required to be cut. The division bench of chief justice Vipin Sanghi and justice Alok Kumar Verma issued these directions while hearing a public interest litigation regarding permission granted by the Kalsi divisional forest officer for cutting 121 trees instead of 16 trees in Rudrapur Gram Panchayat in Vikasnagar Tehsil and alleged irregularities in construction of the Haat Bazaar in the area. The matter will be taken up for hearing next on August 31.
According to the case details, village resident Vijendra Datt Saklani filed the PIL stating that a Haat Bazaar was proposed earlier in the village. The petitioner has alleged that irregularities worth Rs three lakh were committed by showing the work under MNREGA while no work was done on the ground. In 2021, a proposal for construction of the Haat Bazaar was passed and a sum of Rs 16 lakh was approved from NABARD. Saklani contends that 16 trees were to be cut to build the Haat Bazaar but the divisional forest officer granted permission to cut 121 trees. When the case was investigated by the Tehsildar, irregularities in the construction of the Haat Bazaar came to the fore. The petitioner has sought that the cutting of the trees be stayed and that the alleged irregularities in the Haat Bazaar construction should be investigated.
