Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that 30 bulldozers cannot be deployed overnight to destroy a forest in the name of sustainable development — even if development is important. The court made the observations while hearing the case concerning the alleged destruction of forest land at Kancha Gachibowli. Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said that while sustainable development was essential, it could not come at the cost of devastating the environment. “That’s not our approach. I am an advocate of sustainable development, but that doesn’t mean that, overnight, you (govt) should employ 30 bulldozers and destroy the forest,” he said.When the matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising the CJI, Justice Vinod Chandran, and Justice Joymala Bagchi, the state informed the court that all activity at the disputed site had been halted in compliance with previous court orders, and it submitted a detailed affidavit along with relevant photographs.“We have done a cartographic survey, the trees are protected, the growth is protected,” the state counsel informed the apex court.In its affidavit, the state submitted that the land in question had not been notified as forest land, nor did it satisfy the requirements to be classified as forest under the mandatory norms. It further contended that the central empowered committee’s assertion that the land constitutes forest land was “erroneous and legally untenable.”The court was also informed that in the past two decades, there had never been any litigation involving the land, even when it was actively considered for various development activities as part of the state’s development corridor.After hearing submissions from the state and other parties, the court adjourned the matter to Aug 13 for further hearing. The Supreme Court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the issue after a large number of trees were reportedly felled in April, sparking widespread public outrage.
