New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday warned the Haryana government of dire consequences if it tried to interfere with the top court’s order on constructions in Aravalli ranges.
“In case, Aravalli, its forest cover, the Punjab Land Preservation Act, or Kant Enclave is interfered with, you will be in trouble”, the bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta told the Haryana government.
When solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for Haryana, submitted that the law was still at the bill stage and pending with the governor, Justice Mishra said: “Place before us the copy of the bill as it was passed.” The court granted three weeks to the Haryana government for doing so.
Observing that legislature is not supreme, the bench last week had restrained the Haryana government from implementing a law to allow thousands of acres of land for real estate development and other non-forest activities in Aravalli forests.
The bench questioned the bona fides of the Haryana government for bringing in amendments to the 119-year-old Punjab Land Preservation Act to allow such construction activity in the Aravalli hills. The Act was introduced before partition by the then Punjab government in 1900. The law provided for the conservation of subsoil water and/or prevention of erosion in areas found to be subject to erosion or likely to become liable to erosion.
“We will not allow such kind of misadventure. Do you (Haryana government) think you are supreme? You are not above the law. Legislature is not supreme. At times, court also has to prevail. It is really shocking that you are trying to destroy the forests. We knew that Haryana government will do this to favour builders and to destroy forest and that is why we had warned you earlier but it’s shocking that you went ahead despite our warning,” Justice Mishra had reprimanded the counsel for Haryana last week.
The amendment to the Act will have a huge impact on the protected Aravalli forests in the National Capital Region (NCR). It was alleged that the move “reeked of a multi-crore scam” and the amendment would take out the protected forest areas and ecological preserves of the Act’s ambit.
