HC seeks reply on PIL over lack of facilities in village
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday issued notices and sought replies within six weeks from the Centre, National Wildlife Board, Uttarakhand chief wildlife warden, Corbett Tiger Reserve director and four others on a public interest litigation (PIL), which alleged that people living in a forest village in Ramnagar’s Aamdanda area were not getting basic amenities.
A division bench of acting chief justice SK Mishra and Justice NS Dhanik gave the directions after hearing the PIL filed by Ramnagar-based Vatsal Foundation through its secretary Shveta Mashiwal.
The forest village, Amdanda Khatta, is located near the boundary of Corbett reserve’s buffer.
Dushyant Mainali, counsel of the petitioner, said the PIL has highlighted that residents of Amdanda Khatta of Ramnagar in Nainital district were not getting basic facilities like electricity, drinking water and school. He said apart from the Centre, National Wildlife Board, chief wildlife warden and Corbett director, four others who have been issued notices include the executive engineer of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), Ramnagar, executive engineer of Jal Sansthan, Ramnagar, Nainital district magistrate and Nainital chief development officer.
Citing the PIL, Mainali said funds for electrification of Amdanda area were allocated in 2015 and that a joint inspection had found that not a single tree was to be cut for the purpose.
“According to the rules of the Central government, only if more than 75 trees are cut per hectare, permission of the Centre is required for electrification in forest villages, but in this case, electrification has not been done since 2014 despite the fact there is no tree to be cut in the village area. Similarly, no action has been taken since 2012 regarding drinking water facility in Amdanda,” he said.
The PIL pointed out that no development scheme under Panchayati Raj Act or of local village government has been undertaken at Aamdanda, despite being situated at a distance of only two kilometres from Ramnagar town.
According to the PIL, the rights of the villagers are being continuously ignored by the authorities. “The villagers of this forest village are living in primitive and medieval condition
ACCORDING TO THE PIL, THE RIGHTS OF THE VILLAGERS ARE BEING CONTINUOUSLY IGNORED BY THE AUTHORITIES.
without there being any provision for the fundamental amenities, such as electricity and water connection, for them.
The villagers, who are mostly from the lower strata of the society and are underprivileged and downtrodden both economically and socially, have sent various representations to the authorities but no heed has been paid to the same by the authorities who are either the respondents or their functionaries,” the PIL said.
The PIL pointed out that basic amenities like electricity and water supply are fundamental rights of the residents of the forest village and also protected under Forest Rights Act 2006.
According to the petition, the settlement of forest village Aamdanda is almost 200 years old; the ancestors of the villagers, who were herdsmen, started residing here for grazing of their cattle.
“It is also pertinent to mention here that for a long period the ancestors of the villagers of forest village Aamdanda Khatta used to pay grazing tax to the forest authorities,” the petition said.