The Supreme Court said on Wednesday that while development is important for the economy, protecting the environment for future generations is equally important, as it allowed the Andhra Pradesh government to proceed with a tourism project in Vishakapatnam’s ecologically sensitive Rushikonda Hill subject to certain restrictions.
The project involves the reconstruction of a resort complex in to order to promote tourism. After rebel YSR Congress MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju Kanumuru wrote to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in October last year, work on it was halted on May 6. The NGT’s order came after the Andhra Pradesh high court allowed the work to continue in December, claiming that the state had secured all statutory permissions.
The NGT order was overturned by the Supreme Court, and the procedures before it were halted. It said that concurrent hearings before the NGT and the high court would result in a “abnormal scenario.” The state was only authorised to develop on the flat section of the hill where the old resort structure stood, according to the Supreme Court. Construction on the site has been halted pending the outcome of a high court ruling.
Kanumuru’s lawyer, Balaji Srinivasan, used images of the Rushikonda Hill to argue that the project’s development was in violation of a December 16 high court order.
Kanumuru was granted permission by the Supreme Court to file a suit before the high court, highlighting these facts. “All facts be presented to the HC [high court] so that suitable decisions can be passed to strike a balance between development and environmental issues, taking into account the significant claims made by the respondent [Kanumuru].”
No building shall be carried out in the sections of the hill until the Supreme Court, which will reopen after vacations this month, reviews the case. “We don’t want to obstruct building, but we also don’t want to end up in a scenario where the damage is irrevocable,” a bench of justices led by BR Gavai and Hima Kohli stated. It stated that the high court will be free to enlist the help of the NGT’s expert committee or select any other panel in deciding the case. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure with the NGT taking up the case despite the fact that it was pending before the high court.
Featured Image: Crucial News India (All Rights Reserved)
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