New Delhi, February 18 The National Green Tribunal has dismissed a plea challenging a proposed site for a CRPF camp in the Srinagar district after being informed that the proposal had been withdrawn.
The green body was hearing a plea against the setting up of the proposed camp for the 61st, 79th, 117th, and 132nd battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on 1,324 kanals of land in the Brain locality of Khanyar tehsil in the Srinagar district.
The petition alleged several environmental violations, including a lack of assessment for the large carbon footprint, the likelihood of large-scale tree felling, the site being in a green zone near the protected area and wildlife corridors, as well as being located in the areas inhabited by the critically endangered Kashmiri stag and Asiatic black bear.
In its order dated February 16, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said, “The counsel for respondents 8 (Director General of CRPF) and 9 (Commandant of CRPF's 79th Battalion in Srinagar) has submitted that he has received instructions from Vinod Sawant, in-charge (law) for IGP headquarters, that the proposal to set up the battalion camping site on the above piece of land has been dropped.”
Noting the submission, the tribunal dismissed the petition, stating that there was nothing further to consider in the case.
In September last year, the tribunal had issued notices to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and others in the matter.