The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Uttarakhand government for moving at a “snail’s pace” against its senior officers accused of illegal constructions in Corbett Tiger Reserve. While ordering for the departmental proceedings to be concluded within three months, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih deprecated the state’s practice of moving speedily against junior level officers but not against the senior officers.
It noted an affidavit of the state elaborated on the departmental proceedings initiated against the officers.
Referring to a chart placed before it, the court said the departmental proceedings were completed against 16 of the 17 officers who were in the rank of ranger, deputy ranger, etc.
However, one of the officials died in a road accident unfortunately, it added.
The bench said another chart indicated the proceedings moving at a snail’s pace against senior officers.
“We, therefore, direct the state government to conclude all the departmental proceedings in respect of all the officers within a period of three months from today,” the bench said and posted the hearing three months later.
The court was also dealing with the issue of eco-sensitive zone notification for the Rajaji National Park and Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
The National Environment Policy of 2006 defines an ESZ as areas or zones with identified environmental resources having incomparable values that require special attention for their conservation because of their landscape, wildlife, biodiversity, historical and natural values.
The bench observed on March 5, it had granted time for submitting a revised proposal for the identification of ESZ after taking into consideration the suggestions given by the Centre.
The Uttarakhand counsel informed the bench that the revised proposal was forwarded to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on March 11.
The bench asked the ministry to consider the revised proposal received from the state and take steps for publication of the final notification after following the procedure prescribed under the law.
Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the ministry, assured the court that the process would be started here on along with an attempt to complete the same at the earliest.
The matter was posted after 12 weeks.
In March 2024, the apex court came down heavily on illegal construction activities and felling of trees in the reserve.
It had delivered a verdict on a plea alleging destruction of the tiger habitat and a decline in the tiger density in the Lansdowne Forest Division owing to illegal construction in the Pakhro Tiger Safari as well as illicit felling of thousands of trees.
The CBI, which was probing the case, was directed to file its status report in the matter.>
