Submit report on forest lands in Pune: NGT directs principal conservator of forests
The news report titled ‘Forest Dept struggling to regain 14,000 hectares of land in Pune” was published in Hindustan Times on August 28
Taking a Suo Motu action on a news report published in Hindustan Times in August 2024, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the principal chief conservator of forest, district magistrate of Pune and Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) to submit a response on forest land and its status in Pune district.
The news report titled ‘Forest Dept struggling to regain 14,000 hectares of land in Pune” was published in Hindustan Times on August 28. The article highlights that the Pune Forest Department has identified over 30,000 hectares of reserve forest land, successfully reclaiming 20,000 hectares from the Revenue Department. However, approximately 14,000 hectares of reserve forest land remain with the Revenue Department. However, the land reclamation process includes challenges like litigation, existing encroachments, and lease proposals.
Furthermore, in certain areas, permanent settlements like buildings and slums have been established on the Forest land. Evicting people from these settlements is difficult, as alternative land must be provided for relocation. Sometimes, land initially allocated for agricultural purposes is later utilised for commercial or residential use.
NGT’s principal bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, chairperson, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, judicial member and A Senthil Vel, an expert member on September 19, registered a Suo Motu case issued an order which stated that the news item indicates a violation of the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It also raises substantial issues relating to compliance with the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment.
Therefore, the bench directed the MOEFCC, principal conservator of forest, Maharashtra Forest Department, Nagpur and the District Magistrate of Pune to submit their responses to the NGT, one week before the next hearing. The tribunal also transferred this case to the Western Zonal bench since the issue is related to the regional bench. The next date for the hearing is set for October 4.