SC lifts stay on tree felling for railway line between Mathura and Jhansi
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday lifted its stay on the felling of trees for the construction of a railway line between Mathura and Jhansi observing the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited had completed the mandatory planting of 50,943 saplings.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Manmohan was informed by the central empowered committee that the railway body was granted permission on May 13, 2022, for felling 5,094 trees subject to planting of 50,943 saplings.
"We have perused report concerning compliance with order dated May 13, 2022 by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. The project is with regard to third railway line between to Mathura and Jhansi. The report of CEC indicates that compliance of planting 50,943 trees has been done. We vacate the October 14 stay order on the project," the bench said.
The apex court on October 14 observed the compensatory afforestation was not done, prompting to halt the construction work.
In October, the counsel appearing for the railway body said after the court granted it permission to fell 5,094 trees on May 13, 2022, it granted the necessary amount to the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department for compulsory afforestation.
"We are constructing a by-pass rail line in the Agra division of north-central Railway for the rail line between Mathura junction and Jhansi. But we don't know if there was a compliance with the court's condition or not. Now the forest department is pinning the liability on us," he had submitted.
The bench then told the counsel the court's permission was granted to RVNL for felling trees and it was the railway body's responsibility to see if the conditions were complied with or not.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held in Bengaluru on May 16
Muslim organisations to release report on Congress govt’s three-year performance
Bengaluru: Major Muslim organisations and federations in Karnataka have decided to organise a large public convention titled ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16. During the convention, a comprehensive report reviewing the three-year performance of the Congress government under the theme “What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?” will be released.
According to a statement issued on Friday, no politicians will be invited to the convention. The report will be submitted to the government and all MLAs after the event.
The convention is being held at a time when the Congress government is nearing the completion of three years in office on May 20. Muslim organisations have expressed dissatisfaction, alleging that despite extending strong support to the Congress in bringing it to power, the community is being neglected.
The Convention is being organised at time when there are concerns over inadequate political representation for Muslims, alleged neglect of community demands, and the suspension of senior Muslim leaders who had worked for the party for decades.
The organisers said the convention aims to raise questions on what the Congress government has delivered so far and what further steps are expected from the government.
The decision to hold the convention was taken during a meeting held on May 6 at A J International Hotel in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru. Representatives of major Muslim organisations, associations, ulema bodies, federations, and members of the ad hoc committee of Karnataka Rajya Muslim Okkoota attended the meeting.
More than 75 representatives and delegates, including senior ulemas, jamaat leaders, lawyers, retired officials, journalists and members of the KRMO ad hoc committee, participated in the discussions.
Members of the KRMO ad hoc committee’s report preparation team and experts from different sectors presented a detailed report on the Congress government’s three-year performance. The report examined promises made to Muslims on ten major issues, the extent to which they were fulfilled, pending promises, alleged discrimination in representation, and the demands now being placed before the government.
The report covered issues such as the hijab ban, reservation cancellation, hate speech and hate crimes, budget allocation, political representation, waqf matters, the anti-cow slaughter law, anti-conversion law, scholarships and educational grants.
Participants offered suggestions and recommendations on various points, and necessary corrections to the report were accepted after detailed discussions.
The meeting also reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction over the manner in which the Congress government has treated the Muslim community. Participants are said to have opined that if the government and the Congress party continue in the same manner, the community should keep its political options open.
It was later decided that the report would be officially released at the large public convention on May 16 under the title “Karnataka Muslim Convention – What did the Congress government promise? What did it do? What next?”
The organisers appealed to people from all districts of the state to participate in large numbers and send a strong message to the government and the Congress party through the convention.
They also decided that all organisations, jamaats and associations should work towards ensuring participation from every district in Karnataka.
The statement reiterated that no politicians would be invited to the May 16 convention and that the report on the Congress government’s three-year performance would be submitted to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs after the event.
