Shillong, Jul 30: The Meghalaya High Court has asked the State to explore the feasibility of compensatory afforestation around the Shillong Peak Ropeway Cable Car Project at Raid Laban Reserve Forests and Raid Laban Forest.
The division bench of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh asked Advocate General Amit Kumar and advocate for the petitioner, Kaustav Paul to identify a convenient day for a visit.
Earlier in his submission, Paul argued that while the Central government has authorised deforestation with a condition that there should be proper compensatory afforestation in the vicinity of the project, afforestation should not be done in a distant place.
Paul in the previous hearing of the PIL had objected that the land for afforestation is situated in another district which will not benefit Lawsohtun.
He argued that on deforestation being done anywhere, the state government is enjoined with a duty to effect “compensatory afforestation but the afforestation result in Meghalaya is the lowest in the country.”
The Advocate General defended that the government is prepared to carry out afforestation work but problems exist with regard to availability of land in the area.
