SC refuses to monitor probe into NEET-II paper leak case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a plea seeking a court-monitored probe into alleged leak of question papers of NEET phase-II at Haldwani, Uttarakhand.

RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court on Tuesday refused to vacate its earlier order that banned felling of trees for widening roads and pulled up the state government for not purchasing “tree shifting machine” even after a lapse of 13 months.

A division bench of chief justice Virender Singh and justice S Chandrashekhar observed there was slow progress in the purchase of the machine. “When it comes to purchasing a helicopter, the government moves swiftly but it doesn’t care to purchase the machine even after 13 months.”

“Trees are like our children. We can’t allow anyone to kill them,” the bench said. “Lakhs of tress had been cut down in the name of development and plantation work was carried out only on papers to compensate.”

“As a result, in cities like Ranchi where people did not need fans even in summer season are now using air conditioners due to excessive heat conditions. Not only this, the rampant cutting of trees also resulted in depletion of water table,” the bench observed.

It explicitly clarified that the court would consider vacating its earlier order only after going through the detailed project report of road widening and assessing the necessity to cut the trees.

The court’s order came on a request made by forest secretary Shukhdeo Singh to vacate its order on June 9, 2015.

The bench asked the secretary to make a survey of the road that is set to be broadened and prepare a detailed project report as to how many trees are to be cut down and how many of them can be shifted to other places. The court would then pass necessary orders only after assessing the report, it said.

The government informed the court that fund has been sanctioned for purchasing the machines. The forest secretary said several road projects have been delayed due to the court’s ban on cutting of trees.

The central government was blaming the state government for the delay, secretary informed the court, adding that nearly five lakh trees have been planted in last three years in the state, which witnessed 5% increase in total forest cover.

The forest secretary said to every fell down tree, double number of trees will be planted and urged the court to lift the ban.