Nainital, Apr 23 The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state government to file its reply within four weeks on a plea seeking immediate intervention on the issue of alleged unregulated construction and landslide risks in the Mussoorie diversion area and Doon Valley.
A division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay issued the directions on Wednesday on an application filed by social worker and environmentalist Reenu Paul in an ongoing Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The plea highlights serious concerns over increasing geological vulnerabilities in the Mussoorie diversion area and Dehradun foothill areas. The diversion area refers to a stretch of land between the foothills of Mussoorie and Dehradun.
The petition said recent developments, including construction on sensitive slopes, visible land subsidence, and ground cracks in areas like Jharipani, have heightened the risk of potential disasters.
It relied on news reports, satellite imagery, geo-tagged photographs, and official documents, to substantiate claims of ecological degradation and unsafe urban expansion.
The plea noted that fault lines have been marked in the Dehradun master plan for the first time, raising further alarm about construction in geologically sensitive zones.
Concerns were also raised regarding informal settlements (bastis) on vulnerable hill slopes which could exacerbate the impact of natural calamities.
The petitioner stressed that the current situation poses a direct threat to human life, property, and the fragile regional ecology.
In 2021, the court had directed the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) Chairman and Dehradun Municipal Commissioner to inspect these areas and seal illegal constructions.
The court had also ordered authorities to take legal action against unauthorised contractors and submit a status report on the matter.
