NGT to decide on body to save Eastern, Western Ghats

Chennai

Referring to a latest Supreme Court judgment, the bench comprising Chief Justice AP Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, said: “The matter can be raised before the NGT as it is squarely an issue relating to the environment. Therefore, we decline to entertain it without hindering the right of the petitioner to approach the NGT.”

The petitioner, KS Radhakrishnan, a DMK spokesperson, had submitted that the recommendation by Madhav Gadgil and Kasturi Rangan panels have not been adhered to, resulting in grave damage to these ghats.

He said the Western Ghats extend to around 1.6 lakh sqkm, from Kanniyakumari to Gujarat, spanning six States. But while other states are properly utilising natural resources, Tamil Nadu, which has a spread of over 28,200 sqkm, has failed to utilise them properly. He also claimed that misutilisation and mismanagement of resources are rampant, not only by the administrators but also by the public.

Radhakrishnan submitted that the Eastern Ghats, which run from northern Odisha to Tamil Nadu, has a wide list of sanctuaries, national parks, hills, rivers and waterfalls, providing great natural aesthetics to the entire region. But failure to implement the Tamil Nadu Hill Areas (Preservation of Trees) Act of 1955 has made protection of trees in private holdings a challenge.