By: Vijay Kumar Verma, Editor-ICN Group
SHIMLA: Once again the Supreme Court of India had to intervene in the mass destruction to ecology being caused by certain fraudulent builders in Kasauli who had made inroads not only in the fragile hills for their financial gains but also into the state’s soft peddling authorities.
Finally the Honourable Supreme Court in its judgement on Tuesday has ordered demolition of unauthorised structures in 12 resorts at Kasauli within a period of 15 days. Upholding the orders of National Green Tribunal, the supreme court observed that such illegal construction was not only endangering the life of city dwellers and residents but also the ecology of the area while also imposing heavy fines on such builders.
The most interesting facts of the case are that the TCP acts were being flouted by these builders under the very nose of these enforcement authorities and no action was contemplated against them.
As the NGT made its observations and ordered demolition of these structures some time back, the state authorities had rather come forward to regularise these structures.
As the politically elected governments would always fail to take action against such builders albeit hobnobbing with them for giving clearances, it would become imperitive on the honourable courts only to penalise the enforcement officials with dire service consequences and the fines imposed in such cases should be payable by the individuals and not the departments. Then only their accountability will improve and action expected of them. At the altar of penal actions from the judiciary only they will learn to follow the dictats of their political bosses.
Not much far away from Kasauli one comes across the most stringent enforcement of TCP rules by Chandigarh administration. Fortunately it is not governed by any political bosses but administrative will. Not an inch of encroachment is permissible and what to talk of unauthorised structures.
Any lessons learnt? Ahoy, not by the state authorities.
