Illegal construction in Corbett: SC raps former U'khand forest minister Rawat, ex-forest officer
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on former Uttarakhand forest minister and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat and ex-divisional forest officer Kishan Chand for allowing illegal construction and felling of trees in the Corbett tiger reserve.
This is a case where bureaucrats and politicians have thrown public trust doctrine in the waste bin, said a bench headed by Justice B R Gavai.
The apex court directed the CBI, which is already probing the case, to file its status report in the matter within three months.
"They (Rawat and Chand) have in blatant disregard of the law and for commercial purposes indulged in mass felling of trees to construct buildings in the pretext of promotion of tourism," the bench said.
The top court said it was amazed at the audacity of Rawat and Chand in giving statutory provisions a total go by.
It also formed a committee to look into whether tiger safaris can be permitted in buffer or fringe areas of national parks in the country.
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier raided the residences of Rawat and Chand in connection with illegal construction in the tiger reserve.
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Mangaluru: Teen rescues 10-year-old from strong waves at Someshwara Beach
Mangaluru (PTI): A teenager rescued a 10-year-old boy who was being swept away by strong waves at Someshwara Beach, police said on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening.
According to officials, Muhammad Arshaman (10), a resident of Vitla Megginapete, had come to the beach with his family when he was caught in a strong current. Noticing the situation, Muhammad Ismail Faiz (16), son of Ashraf from Mudipu, immediately jumped into the sea to rescue him.
Faiz battled the waves for about 10 minutes before managing to bring the boy to safety.
Following the rescue, Faiz became exhausted and briefly lost consciousness. He was later admitted to a private hospital in the city and is recovering.
Arshaman is also reported to be out of danger, police said.
Faiz recently passed the SSLC examination and secured second place in a state-level karate competition.
Both Arshaman and Faiz are relatives and had visited the beach with their families when the incident occurred.
Local swimmers also assisted in the rescue after being alerted.
Faiz said that he knew how to swim, which gave him the confidence to attempt the rescue.
