The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has asked the State government to ensure appointment of expert professionals to supervise and monitor hydel projects for protection of fragile ecology of the state. Whie granting permission to the companies concerned, the government should impose a condition of appointing the professionals to monitor construction of hydel projects during their construcitn, the bench said.
The High Court’s division bench of Chief Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice VK Sharma disposed of a writ petition in this regard. The bench observed that although theenvironmental law statutes concerned provide for regulatory authorities, it is common knowledge that number of officials attached to the authority concerned are insufficient to cope up with the multi-dimensional activities and duties cast upon them, and much less to monitor the massive construction activity on day-to-day basis.
The bench said that the condition would be in the nature of compulsorily appointing an independent expert, who will supervise the construction activity in the environmentally fragile areas and act as an auditor of performance.
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