India News | HC Seeks Response of MoEF on Plea to Stop Vehicles Entry on Roads Constructed Within Rajokri Forest

New Delhi, May 25 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought the response of the Centre and Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) on a plea seeking direction to the authorities to ensure that there is no transmission of vehicles on the illegal road constructed within Rajokri protected Forest here.

Justice Yashwant Varma issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, DCF, SDM of Mehrauli, and Commissioner of Police on the petition and listed it for hearing on July 27.

Also Read | Waghdoh, Maharashtra's Oldest Tiger, Dies of Old Age at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

The plea filed by Mall Road, Vasant Kunj, Residents Welfare Association also sought direction to the authorities to take necessary steps to preserve the Rajokri protected Forest by blocking the illegal road and other ancillary directions.

The petition, filed through advocate Simarpal Singh Sawhney, said since March 2021 there has been a continuous unauthorised movement of heavy commercial vehicles through an illegal road cutting through the Rajokri Forest land for movement of heavy commercial vehicles from the forest to Church/ Mall Road, Vasant Kunj in South Delhi and vice versa causing serious traffic congestion issues.

Also Read | Meta Releases AI Platform To Develop Prosthetics Along With Realistic 3D Avatars.

It said it is also causing safety issues for the residents of Church Road, Green Avenue, and neighbouring areas, a safety hazard for the students of nearby schools, pollution, and degradation of the ecology and environment of the Rajokri Reserved Forest.

“The illegal road has been constructed over the past few years with impunity and blatant disregard within the protected forest land of Rajokri for plying of heavy commercial vehicles for transportation of Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) leading to the factory of Respondent no. 5 (NDCON Construction),” the plea alleged.

It said the Rajokri Forest, which is a protected forest land under the Indian Forests Act, comes under the purview of the prohibiting provisions, and thus, Rajokri forest land cannot be used for any non-forest purpose.

“Consequently, the road which has been constructed within the Rajokri forest for plying of heavy vehicles to transport RMC is illegal and in contravention to the laws of the country,” it said.

The petition referred to an earlier judgement passed by the Delhi High Court in which the issue of illegal roads constructed within the protected forest area has also been dealt with and in which it has been held that any illegal construction of the road in the protected forest area to avoid travelling to a longer distance, is not permissible and had directed the Delhi Government to remove all encroachments and unauthorised construction including illegal roads.

“The petitioner is also aggrieved by the Order dated December 29, 2021, vide which it has been directed by the Respondent no. 3 (SDM, Mehrauli) that no hindrance be made to the smooth flow of the traffic/movement on the Church/Mall road and also passed ancillary directions regarding the same.

“The said order does not refer to the illegal road constructed in the Rajokri protected forest and rather conflates and confuses the illegal road with the legal Church road at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The said order has been misinterpreted and misused by Respondent no. 5 for transportation of RMC material through the illegal road constructed within the Rajokri forest land to save time and fuel costs, avoid the main highway, and other malafide reasons,” it claimed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)