THE SUPREME COURT TODAY expressed grave concern over the devastation caused by floods and landslides in the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab, and pointed to prima facie evidence of illegal felling of trees in the hills.
A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, while referring to media footage showing timber logs being swept down by floodwaters in Himachal Pradesh, remarked, “It is a serious matter. From the media reports, it is also noticed that in the flood, huge numbers of wooden logs were flowing around. Prima facie, it appears that there has been illegal felling of the trees which has been going on up hills.”
The bench issued notices to the Union through the Ministries of Environment and Jal Shakti, the National Disaster Management Authority (‘NDMA’), the National Highways Authority of India (‘NHAI’), and to the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, seeking their responses within two weeks. The matter has been posted for further hearing thereafter.
The Chief Justice, expressing anguish, observed: “We have seen unprecedented landslides and floods in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. We are seeing the pictures of Punjab, the entire fields and villages are eradicated. Development has to be balanced.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, asked by the bench to take note of the issue, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.
Mehta assured the court he would immediately speak to the secretary of the environment ministry and the chief secretaries concerned. “We have interfered with nature so much that now nature is giving back,” he observed candidly.
The Court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by petitioner Anamika Rana, who sought directions for preventive and remedial measures in view of recurring disasters in the Himalayan belt. The petition underlined that in spite of having dedicated disaster management authorities, both the Union and States have failed to put in place effective plans to mitigate the losses caused by such disasters, whose frequency has only increased in recent years.
The PIL pointed to multiple causes aggravating the scale of destruction—disregard of the hill road manual, encroachment upon water bodies, and lack of compliance with environmental safeguards. It alleged that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the Ministry of Jal Shakti had failed in their duty to protect the fragile ecology and rivers of the Himalayan region.
Specifically, the petition prayed for the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (‘SIT’) involving experts to probe irregularities, breaches, and non-compliance with environmental laws and road construction guidelines. It sought a probe into the role of officials and agencies linked with highway and road construction projects that have, according to the petitioner, contributed to disasters in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The petitioner further pressed for the formation of an independent expert committee to carry out geological, geo-technical, environmental, and ecological investigations into road and highway projects where landslides have occurred, and to assess the causes of floods and flash floods in the rivers and streams of these states. The committee, she has said, must recommend measures for remediation, restoration, and rejuvenation of the Himalayan environment to safeguard the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The public interest plea by Anamika Rana brings into focus the nexus between unregulated development, illegal deforestation, and the increasing vulnerability of the Himalayan region to natural calamities.
