Urgent: Gauhati High Court Demands Immediate Action on Deepor Beel’s Threatened Sanctuary
The Gauhati High Court has mandated the Assam Public Works Department (PWD) to file an affidavit verifying the removal of earth filling and construction activities in Deepor Beel, a critical wetland. This directive emerges amidst escalating environmental concerns about unauthorized activities compromising the site’s ecological balance.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam issued this order during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL No. 18/2023). The PIL, filed by three individuals, including a cattle farmer named Pramod Kalita from Chakardo near Deepor Beel, contests unauthorized land use and construction, emphasizing the potential environmental threats to this sensitive ecosystem.
The court referenced a Supreme Court directive from December 11, 2024, which had instructed High Courts to initiate a suo moto PIL based on an affidavit by Dr. A. Duraisamy, a member of the Central Wetland Regulatory Authority. However, the Gauhati High Court discovered a lack of compliance with this directive and has tasked the registry with verifying the status.
PWD’s counsel, P. Nayak, relayed to the court that a construction project near Dharapur Tiniali had been canceled and that any temporary earth-filling activities would be dismantled within six to eight weeks. The High Court has now required the PWD to substantiate the complete removal of these activities in an affidavit before the next hearing.
The case has cast a spotlight on multiple governmental bodies involved in the land and environmental regulations of Deepor Beel, including the Assam Forest Department, Pollution Control Board, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, and North Eastern Frontier Railway. This heightened scrutiny underscores the urgency to preserve Deepor Beel’s fragile ecosystem amidst growing ecological challenges.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/gauhati-high-court-seeks-report-on-construction-activities-at-deepor-beel-1167225-2025-02-06?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2025-02-06 19:58:00
