Arunachal: NGT Seeks Response on Alleged Illegal Road Work in Papum Pare
The eastern zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of alleged illegal road construction in environmentally sensitive areas of Papum Pare district.
ITANAGAR- The eastern zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Kolkata has taken suo motu cognisance of an alleged illegal road construction in environmentally sensitive catchment areas of Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh, following a report published in a local daily last year.
The bench, comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, examined the news report dated April 22, which alleged that road construction activities were being carried out in ecologically fragile catchment stretches between Ganga-Taipu and Ganga-Tago without adhering to prescribed environmental safeguards.
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Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the tribunal observed that the presence of the state of Arunachal Pradesh, represented through the principal secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, and the Public Works Department (PWD), through its secretary and commissioner, was essential for effective adjudication of the matter. Accordingly, both departments were impleaded as respondent numbers five and six in the case.
The tribunal directed all respondents to file their replies within one month.
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On an interlocutory application filed by S D Loda and Techi Tat seeking to be impleaded as co-applicants, the bench clarified that since the proceedings were initiated suo motu, the status of co-applicants could not be granted. However, the tribunal permitted them to assist the bench by placing relevant materials on record and making oral submissions during the course of hearings.
The matter has been listed for further consideration on March 27.
According to the report that prompted the tribunal’s intervention, the alleged road construction has raised serious concerns among environmental observers and local residents due to the fragile nature of the catchment areas involved. The report warned of potential risks such as landslides, disruption of natural water flow and long-term ecological damage if construction activities continue without statutory environmental clearances.
The publication also underscored the need for strict compliance with environmental norms in hill districts like Papum Pare, where unregulated infrastructure development can have far-reaching ecological and social consequences
