Dismissed

Manoj Singh v. Principle Chief Conservator of Forest

NGT15 Dec 2023IA No. 866/2023 in Original Application No. 560/2023

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

The National Green Tribunal rejected an application filed by a Gram Panchayat seeking intervention or impleadment in a matter regarding road construction near a conservation area. The court held that the petitioner was not a necessary or proper party and therefore disposed of the application.

What did the court decide?

The application for intervention/impleadment is rejected, and the main application is disposed of without further orders.

Manoj Singh vs Principle Chief Conservator of Forest — Environment and Pollution | NGT (2023)

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Item No.10

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Court No. 1

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BEFORE THE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL PRINCIPAL BENCH, NEW DELHI

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Original Application No. 560/2023 (I.A. No.866/2023)

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Manoj Singh Applicant

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Versus

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Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Uttarakhand & Ors. Respondent(s)

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Date of hearing: 15.12.2023

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CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE SUDHIR AGARWAL, JUDICIAL MEMBER HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE ARUN KUMAR TYAGI, JUDICIAL MEMBER HON’BLE DR. A. SENTHIL VEL, EXPERT MEMBER

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Applicant: Mr. Manoj Singh, Applicant in Person (Through VC)

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Respondent: Mr. Rahul Verma, AAG with Ms. Vandana, DM, Nainital

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Mr. S.K. Pattnaik, Member Secretary with Mr. Mukesh Verma, Adv. for UKPCB

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Mr. Dhananjay Mohan, PCCF (WL)/CWLW Mr. Karthik Jayashankar (Through VC), Mr. Agnish Aditya & Mr. Rahul Jhangra, Advs. in I.A No. 866/2023

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ORDER

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I.A. No. 866/2023

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This application has been filed by applicant seeking intervention/impleadment. This is an application filed by Gram Panchayat, Budhlakot stating that road in question is the only passage for villagers and that should not be closed and it is also stated that applicant has filed original application with malafide intention for benefit of its own Resort which has been constructed near Conservation Reserve Area.

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Issue relating to passage relating to the Gram Panchayat is not within the jurisdiction of Tribunal under Section 14 and 15 of National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as ‘ NGT Act, 2010 ’) and

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we do not find that applicant seeking intervention is either a necessary or proper party and in his absence, matter may not be decided, effectively.

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3. The application is accordingly rejected.

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Main Matter

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In this Original Application (hereinafter referred to as ‘ OA ’) filed under Sections 14 and 15 of National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, applicant has raised grievance that some hotel owners, with the support of Forest Department, by demolishing and cutting reserve forest land located on slanting hills in Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve in Budh-Pangot area of Nainital, Uttarakhand, have constructed the road. It is alleged that work of construction of road was done in 2017. Thereafter, widening of the said road had continued till December 2022 by cutting forest land on the sides of this road in violation of provisions of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and guidelines dated 28.03.2019 issued by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

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Considering that the allegations made in OA shows prima facie violations of Environmental Law, this Tribunal vide order dated 21.09.2023 constituted a joint Committee comprising Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEP&PCB) and District Magistrate, Nainital requiring them to file a factual report.

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Report dated 12.12.2023 has been filed on 13.12.2023 wherein following facts have been disclosed:-

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“

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मूलआवेदनसं ा 560/2023 म उ े खतमाग नैनीतालपंगूटमोटरमाग पर थतहैमु मोटरमाग सेऊपरकीओरपंगूटबीट , नैनाआरि तवनक सं ा 15 थतहै।जोिक आरि तवनहै।िवषयगत े नैनादेवीिहमालयनप ीसंर णआरि ितके पम भी अिधसूिचतहै।िनरी णकेदौरान गतमाग कामापनकरनेपरल ाई 25.00 मीटर तथाचौड़ाईऔसतनलगभग 3.00 मीटरमापीगयी। थलकाजी०पी०एस० ारिभकिब दु

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( मु मोटरमाग कीओरसे N29 25 14 E 79 25 47 H ( ऊँचाई ) 1971 मीटरपायीगयी। गतमाग केदूसरेिसरे ( िस र ाउड रस टकीओर ) जी०पी०एस० N29 25 15 E 79 25 46 Η ( ऊँचाई ) 2048 मीटरपायीगयी।

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गतमाग क ाहै।माग परिकसीभी कारसेसी०सी०अथवाडामरीकरणनहींिकया गयाहै।मौकेपरमौजूदव े ािधकारीनैना ाराअवगतकरायागया , िकमा०मु मं ी पोट ल 1905 पर ा िशकायतोंकासं ानलेनेकेउपरा उ विण तमाग कोबैरीकैट लगाकरवाहनोंकीआवाजाहीहेतुब करिदयागयाथातथालगभग 1 मीटरचौड़ाईका पैदलमाग थानीय ामीणोंकेआवागमनहेतुछोड़ागयाहै। गतमाग लगभग 20 वष पूव बनायाजाना तीतहोताहै।मौकेपरवष 2010 कीगूगलईमेजलीगईहैिजसम उ विण तमाग अ म होना दिश तहोरहाहै। ( संल क 1)

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िनरी णकेदौरान गतमाग परिकसीभी कारकावृ ोंकापातनहोनानहींपाया गयाहै।इसकेअित र विण तमाग एवंउसकेआस - पासकोईभीवृ पातनिकयेजाने केिच / दूठनहींपायेगयेह ।विण तमाग केिनमा णसेव जीवोंकेवास थलएवं पया वरणकोिकसीभी कारकी ितहोनािनरी णकेदौरानसं ानम नहींआयाहै। वनिवभागके ितिनिधयों ाराअवगतकरायागयािक गतमाग कोपूण पसेब करनेकेिलएमु सड़ककीओरसेलगभग 10.00 मीटरदीवार ािवतकीजायेगी। इसकेअित र विण तमाग के े फल 0.0075 हे ेयरकोतारबाड़सेब करते ए वृ ारोपणिकयाजायेगा।िजससे गत े काउपचारस वहोसकेगा।

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गतपैदलमाग कालाभिन होम े / होटलसंचालकोंएवं थानीय ामीणोंको ा होरहाहै -

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०सं०	होम े/होटलसंचालकएवं ामीणोंकेनाम	होम े/होटल/ामका नाम
1.	ीराजूबुधलाकोटी,ामपंगूट,पो०पंगूट, िजलानैनीताल	संचालकिस र ाउ कॉटेजपंगूट
2.	ीदीपकबुधलाकोटी,ामपंगूट,पो०पंगूट, िजलानैनीताल	संचालकपाईनवुड कॉटेज
3.	ीआन िस ाथ,ामपंगूट,पो०पंगूट, िजलानैनीताल	संचालकमाउ ेन ेल लौज
4.	ीकैलाशच बुधलाकोटी,ामपंगूट,पो० पंगूट, िजलानैनीताल	थानीय ामीण ामपंगूट
5.	ीहरीशच बुधलाकोटी,ामपंगूट,पो० पंगूट, िजलानैनीताल	थानीय ामीण ामपंगूट

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िनरी णकेदौरान गत थलकेफोटो ाफिलयेगयेह , जोसंल िकयेजारहेह । ( संल क 2)"

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“1. The route mentioned in the original application no. 560/2023 is situated on Nainital Pangoot Motor Road . Naina Reserved Forest Room No. 15 is a reserved forest which is situated at the above level towards Pangoot Beat. The concerned area is also notified as Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve. The length was measured to be 25.00 meters and the width was measured to be about 3.00 meters on an average during the inspection of road in question. The GPS starting point of the site (from the main motor road) was found to be N29 25 14 E 79 25 47 H (elevation) 1971 meters. At the other end of the road in question (towards Silver Cloud Resort) the GPS starting point N29 25 15 E 79 25 46 H (elevation) was found to be 2048 meters.

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2. The road in question is unpaved. No CC or asphalting has been done on the road in any way. Forest Range Officer Naina was present on the spot and informed that after taking cognizance of the 1905 complaints received on Honorable Chief Minister Portal, the above mentioned route was closed for vehicular movement by placing barricades and a walking path of about 1 meter width was made available for the local villagers. Released for traffic. The road in question appears to have been built about 20 years ago. A Google image of the year 2010 has been taken on the spot, which shows the existence of the above mentioned route. (Attachment 1)

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3. During inspection, no fall of trees was found on the road in question. Apart from this, no signs/signs of felling of any trees were found on the described route and its surroundings. No damage of any kind to the habitat and environment of wild animals due to the construction of the described route has come to notice during the inspection. It was informed by the representatives of the Forest Department that to completely close the route in question, a wall of about 10.00 meters will be proposed from the main road. Apart from this, the area of 0.0075 hectare of the described route will be closed with wire fencing and plantation will be done due to which treatment of the area in question will be possible.

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4. The following homestay/hotel operators and local villagers are getting the benefits of the walking route in question –

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Sr. No.	Names of Homestay / Hotel Operators & Villages	Name of Homestay / Hotel / Village
1.	Sh. Raju Budhlakoti, Vill. Pangoot, PO: Pangoot, Distt. Nainital	Operator Silver Clound Cotttage, Pangoot
2.	Sh. Deepal Bidhlakoti, Vill. Pangoot, PO: Pangoot, Distt. Nainital	Operator Pine Wood College
3.	Sh. Anand Siddharth, Vill. Pangoot, PO: Pangoot, Distt. Nainital	Operator Mountain Quail Lodge
4.	Sh. Kailash Chander Budhlakoti, Vill. Pangoot, PO: Pangoot, Distt. Nainital	Local Villagers Vill. Pangoot
5.	Sh. Harish Chander Budhlakoti, Vill. Pangoot, PO: Pangoot, Distt. Nainital	Local Villagers Vill. Pangoot

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During the inspection, photographs of the road in question were taken are attached. (Attachment 2)”

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Applicant has filed its objection but we do not find that anything substantial has been pointed out, to which is mentioned wrongly in the report. It is admitted by the applicant and in fact he could not show any provision, under which, such Kaccha road by use of land for passage, if created, is contrary to any law. We, therefore, accept the Report and do not find that any further order is required to be passed in the matter.

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The application is accordingly disposed of.

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Sudhir Agarwal, JM

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Arun Kumar Tyagi, JM

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Dr. A. Senthil Vel, EM

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December 15, 2023 Original Application No. 560/2023 (I.A. No.866/2023) SN

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Manoj Singh v. Principle Chief Conservator of Forest

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Manoj Singh v. Principle Chief Conservator of Forest

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

What the court decided

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