Lessons for Himachal Pradesh from Other Himalayan States SC Forestland Ruling
On February 15 a three-judge ‘green bench’ headed by the chief justice, Sharad Bobde allowed the government of Himachal Pradesh to clear 614 hectares of forests and move ahead with 138 existing infrastructure projects. It approved an additional 289 projects exploiting another 122 hectares of forest land, subject to certain conditions.
The chief minister, Jai Ram Thakur welcomed the decision saying that development work in the state would be accelerated now. All of these projects stood suspended since 11 March 2019, barred by the Supreme Court under the Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the Forest Rights Act of 2006 (FCA, FRA).