Shillong: The High Court of Meghalaya has instructed the state government to conduct a comprehensive identification of waterbodies, wetlands, and Ramsar sites within the state, and submit a detailed report within six weeks.
This directive follows a Supreme Court order regarding the identification, maintenance, and preservation of such sites across the country.
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The Supreme Court had previously issued concerns about the status of Ramsar sites, which are designated wetlands of international importance, in a 2001 writ petition. Following this, the court took further action in December 2024 after reviewing an affidavit by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Supreme Court asked the High Courts, including the High Court of Meghalaya, to treat the affidavit as a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) to ensure proper maintenance of Ramsar Convention sites within their jurisdictions.
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On Tuesday, a division bench of the High Court of Meghalaya, led by Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh, initiated the PIL. The court took note of a letter from the Member Secretary of the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority, dated February 14, 2025, which informed that no Ramsar sites had been officially notified in the state.
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The bench directed the Registrar General to share the relevant papers with the State authorities, including the Advocate General, Deputy Solicitor General of India, the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority, and the Chief Conservator of Forests in the state, to confirm this information.
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Government Advocate NG Shylla, representing the state, acknowledged that not all wetlands or waterbodies may have been fully inspected yet. He proposed that the state be given time to carry out a thorough identification of these sites, which may have been overlooked during initial inspections.
The court agreed to this request, instructing the state government, in collaboration with the Meghalaya State Wetland Authority and the Chief Conservator of Forests, to conduct a comprehensive identification of these sites in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order. Any identified Ramsar sites are to be immediately notified.
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The court granted six weeks for the completion of this exercise, with a report to be filed before the next hearing. The PIL is scheduled for a follow-up hearing on April 29, 2025.
Additionally, the court directed the Registrar General to appoint a counsel to represent the court before the Supreme Court on March 25, 2025, when the writ petition in the matter of Anand Arya v. Union of India is set to be heard.