Telangana High Court seeks radar report in four weeks
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court on January 20 gave the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change four weeks to submit an updated compliance report on Stage II forest clearance for the Indian Navy’s radar station at Damagundam in Vikarabad district.
The Navy placed a compliance report in a sealed cover before the court, detailing compensatory afforestation undertaken for its Extremely Low Frequency radar station.
PILs cite impact on biodiversity
A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin was hearing public interest litigations challenging the allocation of forest land for the project. The petitioners alleged adverse impact on flora, fauna and biodiversity in surrounding areas.
They sought strict compliance with compensatory afforestation programmes and protection of wildlife in the vicinity of the project site.
Centre seeks time to file report
During earlier hearings, the court had directed the Union and state forest departments to file status and compliance reports. The Navy informed the court that it had voluntarily deposited funds with the forest department for compensatory afforestation, although it enjoys an exemption as a central agency.
On Tuesday, the Centre told the court that the Union forest ministry had written to its regional office in Chennai and the Telangana government seeking updated information on compliance with Stage II clearance conditions. Based on this, the Centre sought four weeks’ time to place a detailed report on record.
