VISAKHAPATNAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday formed a five-member joint committee to ascertain the facts about the alleged destruction of mangrove plantations in Dummulapeta and Parlopeta areas in Kakinada and submit a report to it in three months. “In response to a petition filed by environmentalist B Satyanarayana, the tribunal stated the officials will be held liable if there was any destruction of mangroves.
It also said as the Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered a status quo on construction activity, the order has to be complied with by the local administration,” senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Upadhyay, who appeared in the NGT on behalf of Satyanarayana, said.
“In a significant order on the issue of mangroves destruction in Kakinada, the NGT mentioned there is merit in the application and, therefore, admitted it and also issued relevant notices. The NGT has taken note of the fact that the High Court is also seized of the matter,” Upadhyay said. The tribunal told the committee to identify whether the area in question was a mangrove forest subject to the provisions of Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications 2011 and 2019. To ascertain the anterior position of the area in question, the panel was directed to verify the forest cover map maintained by the Forest Survey of India.