NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday said unplanned development and encroachments without measures to protect the environment are ruining cities, making them prone to flooding, landslides and traffic congestions.

“We will examine the final Shimla development plan keeping in mind the balance to be maintained between development and environment,” the bench said.
City after city getting into bad shape: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday posted for August 11 the vetting of the Shimla development plan, observing that “city after city is getting into bad shape because of unplanned development and unauthorised constructions coupled with encroachments on water bodies”. The bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala expressed the concerns in response to the Himachal Pradesh government’s submission of the final development plan for Shimla, which had been facing severe stress on civic amenities as well as massive traffic congestions because of the rush of tourists. Recent reports showed huge traffic snarls lasting hours.
The court’s decision came after environmentalist Yogendra Mohan’s counsel Sanjay Parikh told the bench that the concerns expressed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the draft development plan had not been taken into consideration and that the new plan presented a perfect recipe for environmental disaster in future. The Himachal government claimed that it had considered the tribunal’s concerns and environmentalists’ objections while finalising the Shimla development plan.
In February 2022, the Himachal government had launched the draft development plan 2041 for Shimla to contribute towards the ease of living. It had claimed that the draft plan would help in planned development of Shimla besides dealing with various issues. An NGT judgment of October 14 last year restrained giving effect to the Shimla draft development plan, saying it was in conflict with the green tribunal’s November 2017 order.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday said unplanned development and encroachments without measures to protect the environment are ruining cities, making them prone to flooding, landslides and traffic congestions.

“We will examine the final Shimla development plan keeping in mind the balance to be maintained between development and environment,” the bench said.
City after city getting into bad shape: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday posted for August 11 the vetting of the Shimla development plan, observing that “city after city is getting into bad shape because of unplanned development and unauthorised constructions coupled with encroachments on water bodies”. The bench of Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala expressed the concerns in response to the Himachal Pradesh government’s submission of the final development plan for Shimla, which had been facing severe stress on civic amenities as well as massive traffic congestions because of the rush of tourists. Recent reports showed huge traffic snarls lasting hours.
The court’s decision came after environmentalist Yogendra Mohan’s counsel Sanjay Parikh told the bench that the concerns expressed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the draft development plan had not been taken into consideration and that the new plan presented a perfect recipe for environmental disaster in future. The Himachal government claimed that it had considered the tribunal’s concerns and environmentalists’ objections while finalising the Shimla development plan.
In February 2022, the Himachal government had launched the draft development plan 2041 for Shimla to contribute towards the ease of living. It had claimed that the draft plan would help in planned development of Shimla besides dealing with various issues. An NGT judgment of October 14 last year restrained giving effect to the Shimla draft development plan, saying it was in conflict with the green tribunal’s November 2017 order.