The Top Court today cleared the NHA’s Delhi-Dehradun expressway project but recast the green tribunal-appointed expert panel for scrupulous implementation of mitigation of damages to environment yet as compensatory afforestation.
Once the project is completed, time period between Delhi and Dehradun is anticipated to be halved from present 5-6 hours.
A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and Aniruddha Bose ordered that the expert panel would be headed by director general (forest) CP Goyal within the Union ministry of environment, forest and global climate change rather than the cabinet minister of Uttarakhand, as ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 13 last year.
The bench disregarded the petitioner NGO’s objection to Joshi’s inclusion.
The Centre and NHAI also accepted inclusion of eco-restoration practitioner Vijay Dashmana, who is acclaimed for converting 380 acres of barren land into urban forest ‘Aravalli Biodiversity Park’, on the suggestion of the NGO.
The bench asked the reconstituted expert panel to scrupulously implement all environment protection measures recommended and particularly the peak of the underpass/flyovers in addition as compensatory afforestation.
The NGT had founded a 12-member committee comprising governing body from organisations like the Central Pollution control panel, Wildlife Institute of India, and therefore the Forest Research Institute to be headed by the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand.