SC Flags “Illegal Tree Felling” After Flood Videos Show Timber Logs; Seeks Response From Centre, States

The Supreme Court on Thursday (4 September) expressed concern over visuals showing large quantities of timber being swept away in floodwaters, suggesting that the incident “prima facie” points to “illegal felling of the trees…going on up the hills.”

A bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran issued notices to the Centre, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Ministries of Environment, Jal Shakti and Road Transport, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, as well as the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

They have two weeks to respond.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Anamika Rana, a resident of Panchkula, who urged for the creation of action plans, a Special Investigation Team probe, and scientific studies to address recurring landslides and flash floods in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

The bench noted the scale of destruction in recent floods and remarked that unchecked deforestation could worsen the crisis.

“We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. From the media reports, it is also noticed that in the flood, huge numbers of wooden logs were flowing around… Prima facie, it appears that there has been illegal felling of the trees, which has been going on uphill," the bench said in its order, IE reported.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court he would raise the issue immediately with the Environment Secretary and coordinate with the chief secretaries of the concerned states.

The bench observed that development projects must strike a balance with ecological preservation, warning that continued exploitation of natural resources could invite harsher consequences.

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