ITANAGAR, 9 Feb: Informing that the court has stayed all construction activities in Siji, the headquarters of Lower Siang district, the petitioner in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), eastern zone bench, Kolkata, in Original Case No 102/2022/EZ, Mirjum Karba vrs union of India & Ors, said that “the Lower Siang district administration is trying to lay the foundation stone of the district headquarters by inviting Chief Minister Pema Khandu and union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.”
The petition stated that “such a step is gross violation of the court order,” and requested the chief minister and the union law minister to “respect the court ruling and avoid any such programme at Siji till the final verdict from the NGT comes.”
The petitioner informed that, through an order issued on 6 January this year, the NGT has completely stayed all construction activities in the area which was notified by the state government for the establishment of the district headquarters in Siji till further orders, and has given three weeks to the government to file a counter affidavit.
The matter was again heard on 3 February, but the government failed to file the response affidavit, Karba said.
The NGT again gave a month’s time to the state respondents to file a counter affidavit, as prayed for by the counsel, with a strong warning.
Earlier, the petitioner had filed a case with the NGT after his representation to the state government regarding “adverse ecological impact to the Kane wildlife sanctuary if the district headquarters is established in Siji” was ignored.
