Gujarat HC Halts Adani’s Port, SEZ Works.

Gujarat High Court has ordered the Adani group to halt development works within 300 metres of the sea shore in its Mundra Port & Special Economic Zone project in Kutch district.
A bench of Justices Jayant Patel and R M Chhaya on Thursday said “it prima facie finds that there is a breach of court’s order in site No. 5. Till further order, no construction shall be done in 300 metres from sea shore.”

“Strict view will be taken if the court’s order is not complied. If needed, the district superintendent of police can deploy additional force for compliance of the order. Strict action may be taken against the officer concerned if the court’s order was not complied with,” the judges said.

The ruling comes on an application seeking to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Adani group for violating a July 12 order of the high court, restricting it from clearing any mangrove or forest in the region. The earlier order was passed by a bench headed by the then chief justice S J Mukhopadhya, directing the central government-appointed committee to conduct inspections to check whether any violation of environmental, seismic and forest rules had taken place in the project.

The court relied on the report of a committee formed by it
on September 19, which was submitted before it on Thursday.
The committee, comprising local heads of the police and revenue besides environment, coastal, port and forest experts, inspected seven sites along the coast.

The committee’s report said destruction of mangroves was most likely to have happened at ‘site number 5’, situated to the south of the lighthouse and west of Western Railway in Mundra. It suggested about 40-50 stunted mangroves had been cleared from the area on the northern side despite the court’s July 12 order, but said the exact time of clearing could only be ascertained by a detailed scientific study.

Siraj Gori, counsel for Kheti Vikas Trust, an NGO, which has challenged industrialisation of the region on the ground of protection of environment and forest, submitted that the company had violated forest norms and cut the mangroves even after the court restricted it.

Adani group officials refused to comment on the issue.

Source : dnaindia.com