UT will not take unilateral call, assures Adviser

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 23

The UT Administration will start consulting all stakeholders in the Tribune flyover from next week as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Giving this information, UT Adviser Manoj Kumar Parida said experts, common man, representatives of the NGO that challenged the project over cutting of trees and environmentalists — all would be invited to give their suggestions. He said officers of Punjab and Haryana would also be consulted. He said the views and the recommendations of the stakeholders and the Administration’s opinion would then be placed before the High Court.

Parida said all options regarding the project were open. “If anybody has alternatives to the over, he/she could share it with the Administration during the hearing. All the suggestions will be examined and discussed at the top level.”

He said the UT Administration would not take any decision unilaterally regarding the project. “Saving the trees coming in the way of the project is the top priority of the Administration. For this reason, it was planned to replant these trees,” he said, adding that however, axing the trees would be the last option the Administration would resort to.

A High Court Bench had asked the UT Administration to undertake an exercise for examining the issue after taking suggestions. The Bench had also directed the UT to place the suggestion reports or conclusions before the High Court so that further orders on cutting of trees could be given. The Administration had submitted that it had no objection in considering and examining “any other reasonable suggestions and taking into consideration all possible suggestions and options with regard to the project in question”. 

The Bench had also directed that a committee of officers from Punjab and Haryana would, after holding a meeting with the UT Adviser, come up with a solution to protect the trees, if possible.