advertisement
Video Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Prajjwal Kumar
Cameraperson: Karthik Jandial
Despite several warnings by environmentalists and climate experts, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court's Jammu complex is set to shift from Janipur to Raika in Jammu City, for which an estimated 38,000 trees would be chopped.
As a resident of Jammu, this would be disastrous for the city's environment. Since the proposal was passed around 2.5 years ago, we have been running the ‘Save Raika Forest’ campaign because there is a need to protect the green lungs of Jammu.
Roopchand Makhnotra, an environmentalist in Jammu who has been working for the cause for over 20 years, warned me about the city's future if we go ahead with destroying the region's biodiversity.
Highlighting that we are not learning from the past, Makhnotra told me, "Look at the Pakistan flood, you forgot the disaster at Kedarnath and Srinagar. All these things indicate the anger of nature when we play with it, and it's difficult to escape from it."
Calling the government's anti-nature and anti-human agendas, Makhnotra emphasised the need to fight for the environment.
On the other hand, the lawyers at the High Court are also protesting against the shift of the court complex.
Another Lawyer, Arvind Bandral, whom I met to understand their issue, questioned the need to shift from Janipur to Raika when the current high court complex has been operational since 1994.
"It hasn't been long since the high court shifted to this building. It's a new safe, and secure building," said Arvind Bandral.
Chief Justice Of India Justice DY Chandrachud laid the foundation stone of the new court complex on 28 June.
The residents of Raika and I have written a detailed letter to the Honourable Chief Justice of India to intervene. In the letter we have requested the CJI for urgent intervention to protect Raika Forest and the injustice surrounding the relocation of J&K High Court.
The Raika forest is home to over 150 species of trees and shrubs and several endangered species of birds and animals, we urged the Justice DY Chandrachud to for justice in the matter. We are not against any development, but we must understand that concretisation and deforestation would affect human lives.
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined