Steps To Rehabilitate Residents Of Sanjay Gandhi National Park Area: Bombay High Court Requests State High Power Committee Secretary’s Affidavit
Last Updated on September 23, 2024 by Arti Kumari
The Secretary of the State High Power Committee, which was established to plan measures for the rehabilitation of eligible people in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, has been instructed by the Bombay High Court to submit an affidavit outlining the actions taken by the Committee to guarantee rehabilitation.
The Advocate General (AG), Dr. Birendra Saraf, was also urged by a Division Bench consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar to engage with the State High Power Committee to find a quick fix for rehabilitation.
The case started as a result of a public interest lawsuit that Samyak Janhit Seva Sanstha filed in an effort to have its residents in Sanjay Gandhi National Park rehabilitated. In Public Interest Litigation No. 305 of 1995, the petitioner-society requested redress based on an earlier court judgment in which the court had issued specific instructions for the citizens’ rehabilitation.
The Chief Justice brought up the significance of Sanjay Gandhi National Park today during the hearing. Orally, he mentioned a research carried out by an organization that encapsulated the significance of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
“A study was carried out by a certain specialist…The Sanjay Gandhi National Park contributes significantly more to Bombay than the BMC’s annual budget, possibly even more than IIT or another esteemed organization. Just consider the impact on the ecosystem, people’s access to clean water, and air. In addition, he said, “This body’s analysis quantifies the contribution of the forest.that quantified money exceeds BMC’s budget. Therefore, kindly convey to the Committee…What else will move them if these figures are unable to do so?
The Court noted that it had requested the AG to utilize his good offices and communicate with the High-Power Committee, which is led by the Forest Minister, in order to find a solution as soon as possible in its prior order dated August 22, 2024. Rehabilitating the inhabitants would fulfill two goals, the Court had stressed: it would help individuals who are eligible and it would remove illegal encroachment from the forest area. It was observed that the forest officials were finding it extremely difficult to preserve the forest’s unique character due to encroachment. The State Government was instructed by the Court to quickly devise a plan for the individuals’ rehabilitation.
The AG said at the hearing that it will probably take longer to come up with a plan for the citizens’ rehabilitation. Therefore, the AG was given an additional two weeks by the Court to “persuade the Committee so that appropriate measures may be devolved for rehabilitating the members of the petitioner-society and other residents who are so entitled.” “We thus again request the Learned Advocate General to coordinate with the State High Power Committee to work out solution as soon as possible,” the decree continued. By the following date, the State High Power Committee member secretary must submit an affidavit outlining the efforts done to guarantee rehabilitation.
On October 9, the Court scheduled a follow-up hearing on the subject.
Case title: Samyak Janhit Seva Sanstha vs. The Union of India & Ors. (PIL/48/2023)
