NEW DELHI, Nov 16:

The National Green Tribunaltoday banned all types of con-struction, residential or commer-cial, in any part of the “green, for-est and core areas” of HimachalPradesh and within three metresof the national highways.

The tribunal rapped theHimachal Pradesh Government forpermitting indiscriminate con-struction and said it has failed todischarge its constitutional obliga-tions and it was this failure that hasexposed picturesque Shimla to nat-ural and man-made disasters.

“If such unplanned and indis-criminate development is permit-ted, there will be irreparable loss

and damage to the environment,ecology and natural resources onthe one hand and inevitable disas-ter on the other,” the bench said.

A bench headed by NGTChairperson Justice SwatanterKumar restrained the HimachalPradesh Government and itsdepartments from cutting hillsand forests without prior sub-mission of application for sanc-tioning of plans for construc-tion.(PTI)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017 (PAGE 16) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU

NGT bans construction within 3 metres of national highways in Himachal