Srinagar April 4 : As the Government is planning to set up a new campus of National Institute of Technology-NIT Srinagar at Newa area of Pulwama the National Green Tribunal-NGT has issued notice to J&K Government and Director NIT Srinagar asking them to submit a detailed response.
The petition has been moved by RTI & Environmental Activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat before the NGT thriugh his counsel Advocate Saurabh Sharma. The petitioner has sought intervention of NGT to prevent the axing of thousands of fruit and non-fruit bearing trees in the 4500 kanals of Karewa land which belongs to around 7 villages of Newa and its adjoining areas.
The petitioner in his original application has said that this entire area is a habitat for summer migratory birds like European bee-eater, Kashmir flycatcher , White-capped bunting (Emberiza stewarti), Common Cuckoo , Jacobin Cuckoo and Himalayan Red Fox , porcupines and leopards.
The case was listed before the Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal -NGT on Tuesday April 1st 2025. The bench issued notices to Chief Secretary J&K, Director NIT Srinagar, Chairman J&K Biodiversity Council , Chief Wildlife Warden and Deputy Commissioner Pulwama
The bench of Justice Prakash Srivastava (NGT Chairperson) , Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi (Judicial Member) and Dr Satyagopal Korlapati (Expert Member) in its order directed the Director NIT Srinagar campus to disclose the entire plan of construction of NIT campus and number of trees to be cut down.
“ Issue notice on OA and IA to the respondents for filing their response/reply by way of affidavit before the Tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing through e-filing. If any respondent directly files the reply without routing it through his advocate, then the said respondent will remain virtually present to assist the Tribunal. The Applicant is directed to serve the respondents and file an affidavit of service at least one week before the next date of hearing. Respondent No 5 (Director NIT Srinagar) is directed to disclose the entire plan of construction of NIT campus and number of trees which are proposed to be cut in the process of the said construction along with its reply affidavit” reads the order
The matter is listed for next hearing on August 1st 2025. The petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat who has filed several petitions in NGT on variety of environmental issues has expressed satisfaction over the order of the NGT
“ I am grateful to NGT for its intervention as more than 4500 Kanals of land (550 acres) with huge tree cover would get impacted . Most of the Karewa land in Pulwama and its adjoining areas of Chadoora and Parigam has already been bulldozed due to clay mining and setting up of illegal brick kilns and this is the only patch of land which is full of tree cover like almond trees , apple orchards , walnut trees , acacia , willows etc.
Infact CM Omar Abdullah has assured that the new campus would be shifted to some other location but no formal order has been issued. The Govt has not even consulted the local population or gram sabha or local MLA for this. The proposed NIT campus will impact the biodiversity of entire area as air pollution from brick kilns is controlled by the plantation in Newa Karewa and this area also houses dozens of species of birds and animals which is violation of Wildlife Laws as well” said Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
