The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday ordered the state government to provide a thorough report in response to public interest litigation (PIL) over unlawful structures in the Dehradun-Mussorie region’s foothills.
The court further ordered that any work that is in violation of the building by-laws be sealed, which clearly states that no construction may be done if the slope angle is greater than 30 degrees. Reenu Paul, a social activist, filed the PIL.
Abhijay Negi, counsel for the petitioner, said: “The division bench of the High Court has directed the vice-chairman of Mussorie-Dehradun development authority and municipal commissioner Dehradun to personally inspect the foothills, especially in Rajpur area forthwith. Any construction found in contravention of building by-laws contained in the 2015 amendment should be sealed.”
The foothills policy, according to the petitioner, requires that the little hillocks that characterise the Shivalik range’s early characteristics be maintained. The petitioner claimed that the foothills had been methodically destroyed in the Rajpur area.
Before the court, he presented images of the environmental harm that had occurred in the area. On May 3, the court ordered the Nagar Nigam Dehradun and the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority to submit a report to the court by May 26; however, the report has yet to be received.
The court took the matter seriously, and the respondents were given another deadline of June 9 to provide a thorough report and affidavit. The Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board was also given till that date to respond. On June 16, the court will hear the case.
