SHIMLA: Supreme Court giving its nod for Shimla Development Plan after it overturned the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) orders, a political showdown has unleashed between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP taking credit for the Shimla Development plan.
Addressing the media, Naresh Chauhan, Principal Advisor (Media) to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, expressed satisfaction with the apex court's decision, crediting the success to the concerted efforts of the present State Government.
Chauhan emphasized that the Shimla Development Plan, introduced in March 2023, laid out a new blueprint for construction activities in Shimla Planning Areas, arguing that the NGT had exceeded its jurisdiction.
Recognizing the case's importance, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of a pending matter from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to be heard at the highest level.
This case challenged the NGT's decision to quash the controversial Shimla Development Plan-2041.
"The Supreme Court's judgment today provides much-needed relief to the people of Shimla, allowing them to proceed with development activities that were stalled for many years," said Chauhan, giving credit to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and commending his decision to enlist experienced lawyers for the case.
On the hand hand, the Former Urban Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, stated that the people of Shimla were in dire need of these orders, claiming that the Jairam government's Shimla development plan had now received the green signal from the Supreme Court.
The court rejected the NGT's 2017 decision, which had imposed restrictions on construction activities in the Shimla planning area.
Bhardwaj mentioned that the Jairam government had filed an appeal against the NGT's decision, and the Supreme Court, in its Thursday ruling, overturned the 2017 decision, allowing the state government to approve building constructions in the area as per the new plan.
In a session led by a division bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice PK Mishra, and Sandeep Mehta, the Supreme Court brought resolution to the disputed Shimla Development Plan, putting an end to the controversy sparked by the NGT's previous decisions.