The Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal (NGT) has sought the response of the Director Nationwide Institute of Know-how (NIT) Srinagar and requested him to “disclose your complete plan of development” of the proposed new campus of the Institute in south Kashmir.
The tribunal has additionally requested him to disclose the variety of timber, that are proposed to be minimize to assemble the brand new campus at Pulwama’s Newa village.
“(The) respondent no.5 (Director, NIT Srinagar) is directed to reveal your complete plan of development of NIT campus and variety of timber that are proposed to be minimize within the technique of the mentioned development together with its reply affidavit,” the tribunal has mentioned in its order on April 1. The order got here on a petition filed by environmental activist Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who has argued that the Pulwama villages the place the brand new NIT campus is proposed to be constructed has a lot of timber which “might be minimize within the technique of development”.
The petition says that the world has an estimated 4 lakh almond timber and three lakh apple timber beside a lot of plum, walnut, chinar and willow timber.
“(The) walnut and willow timber are protected timber beneath the Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Bushes Act, 1969 and these prohibited timber may even be minimize within the technique of development and whole ecology might be destroyed affecting the habitat of untamed animals and migratory birds,” the petitioner argues.
The petition was filed by Bhat after the J-Ok authorities introduced, in December final yr, that the NIT campus located at Nageen Srinagar could be shifted to Pulwama’s Newa village. The federal government proposal to set-up the campus on over 600 acres of land, largely almond and apple orchards, was criticiSed by the villagers of Newa and the environmental activists saying that it could not solely have an effect on the livelihood of 1000’s of individuals but in addition influence the atmosphere severely.
Pulwama legislator and Peoples Democratic Celebration (PDP) chief had urged the Omar Abdullah-led authorities to shift the campus to some non-productive land whereas Tral’s PDP legislator Rafiq Ahmad Naik had urged the federal government to shift the campus to their space.
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The tribunal has set August 1 as the subsequent date of listening to for the petition and requested the respondents to file an affidavit not less than per week earlier than the subsequent date of listening to.
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