SC issues notice to MOEF in a plea seeking protection of Western Ghats

The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre and the Environment Ministry on a plea to quash a recommendation by a government-formed High-Level Working Group treating the entire Western Ghats into patches for protection, thereby excluding around 72,000 square kilometres of area.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to centre and the Ministry of Environment and Forests on a plea seeking directions to protect all the stretches of Western Ghats without excluding anything as per the recommendations of West Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP).

The petition was filed by seven minors, four environmental activists and 16 individuals from the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Senior Advocate Raj Panjwani appeared for the petitioners.

According to the petition, about 72,212 sq km of land in the Western Ghats have been excluded from the protection and it would fragment the Ghats into pieces.

“For the effective protection of Western Ghats from various destruction, the Ministry of Environment and Forest had set up West Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP) in 2010 and the High-Level Working Committee Group (HLWG) in 2012. The WGEEP’s 2012 report says that 1,29,307 sq km to be part of the Western Ghats. But the HLWG stated that only 59940 sq km is the protected zone of Western Ghats out of the total 1,64,280 sq.km area. The identification of HLWC is merely 37% of the existing stretch,” the petition reads.

The petitioner further argued that with the report of HLWG, the Union Government issued directions under section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986 regulating certain activities only in an area of 59,940 sq.km.

“The area of 59,940 sq. km. was later reduced to 56,825 sq. km. by an amendment dated 03.12.2018 to the directions. Significantly, an area of 72, 212 sq. km. that had been identified by the WGEEP as part of the Western Ghats has been arbitrarily excluded from any form of legal protection from the Section 5 directions," the petition reads.

The petitioners had also accused the states of Gujarat, Goa, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala for not discharging their duties in protecting the Western Ghats. Therefore the plea sought a direction to implement all the recommendations of WGEEP.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has issued notice to Union Government and Union Ministry for Environment and Forest.