DEHRADUN: On Wednesday, the Uttarakhand High Court instructed the Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA) to revoke its permission for plotting and group housing on agricultural and orchard land within a week.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the development authority was flouting previous High Court and Supreme Court rulings. They warned that non-compliance could lead to contempt proceedings.
The PIL, filed in 2023 by Haridwar resident Atul Kumar Chauhan, referenced a High Court order from June 19, 2018, which prohibited such developments on agricultural and orchard land due to the limited availability of such land in the state. Subsequently, the state government appealed this order in the Supreme Court.
On April 30, 2024, the Supreme Court, while dismissing the government’s appeal, stated that no intervention was needed regarding the High Court’s order and advised the state government to approach the High Court for any amendments if desired. However, the state government did not take this step.
Chauhan highlighted that HRDA had, in a board meeting last year, decided to permit plotting of agricultural and orchard land, based on legal opinions from two lawyers. He argued that this decision contradicts both Supreme Court and High Court orders, contributing to the erosion of agricultural and orchard land in several areas of Haridwar district.
The petitioner pointed out that in its September 4, 2023 order, the High Court mandated the enforcement of the prohibition on plotting agricultural land. Nonetheless, these directives have yet to be followed.
