Supreme Court Overturns NGT Orders on Shimla Development Plan
2 min read
Shimla, January 11 – The recent decision by the Supreme Court to set aside the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders related to the Shimla Planning Area has been welcomed by the Principal Advisor (Media) to the Chief Minister, Naresh Chauhan. He expressed gratitude to the Apex Court for overturning the NGT’s blanket ban on development activities and construction in Shimla.
Chauhan credited the success to the persistent efforts of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who engaged experienced lawyers to effectively present the case. He emphasized that the Shimla Development Plan, notified by the present Government in March 2023, laid out a new blueprint for construction activities in Shimla Planning Areas. The argument presented was that the NGT had exceeded its jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court’s decision to transfer a pending case challenging the NGT’s decision to quash the Shimla Development Plan-2041 from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to the Supreme Court has brought much-needed relief to the people of Shimla, according to Chauhan.
He praised the Supreme Court’s stance, which asserted that the power to finalize the development plan rests with the State Government, and the NGT cannot issue directions that encroach upon the statutory functions of the State.
Chauhan also commended the Chief Minister’s commitment to strengthening the health infrastructure in the state. The initiation of a Health Information Management System (HIMS) across health institutions in the State, as directed by the Chief Minister, aims to provide doctors with quick access to patients’ medical histories.
In addition, Chauhan highlighted the government’s dedication to providing quality health services to rural populations. Specialist doctors have been deputed in ‘Adarsh Swasthya Sansthans,’ with plans to extend this initiative to cover all constituencies. Moreover, the installation of PET Scan machines in two medical colleges in the first phase is aimed at reducing the financial burden on residents who currently have to travel to neighboring states for scans.
