HT Digital,
Silchar, April 8: The Supreme Court instructed the Assam government to maintain the existing conditions at the Doloo tea estate in Assam’s Cachar district, the proposed site for a Greenfield airport, on Monday.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, questioned the state government for clearing shrubs in the tea garden without an environmental impact assessment report.
The Supreme Court also issued notices to the Centre, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Assam government, and others, in response to a plea filed by Tapas Guha and others.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, argued that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) made an error in its decision, stating that environmental clearance is necessary even for site clearance and in-principle approvals.
The NGT had dismissed Guha and others’ plea on January 25, stating that the environmental impact assessment report was still pending and the environmental clearance for the proposed airport has not been granted.
