HC orders Kutch Collector to appear before it over PIL against Adani group

Gautam Adani

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday ordered Kutch District Collector to appear in-person before it in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging Adani group of destroying sand dunes at Adani Port and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in Mundra.

The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala had earlier this month ordered the state revenue department and the Collector of Kutch-Bhuj district to file a report on the allegations stated in the PIL. The district Collector did not file any report on the alleged sand dunes’ destruction as directed by the High Court. Following which, the court ordered the Collector to remain present before it on July 28. The development comes after Kutch-based petitioner Pravinsingh Chauhan stated in his PIL that Adani group has destroyed the sand dune near the sea-shore at Tunda and Vandh village of Mundra taluka.

He stated that sand dunes work as natural wall to protect the region from natural calamities such as tsunami, high tides and cyclones. He said that Adani group, while dredging the sea-shore for the development  of the port, flattened the dunes. He has stated in the petition that five of the dunes which were as high as 15 to 21 meters from the ground have been reportedly flattened.

The PIL has alleged that the group is indulged in destroying vegetation and mangroves in the region which exist between the the sand dunes. Recently granting an environmental and CRZ clearance to APSEZ the Ministry of Environment and Forest had instructed “not to disturb the sand dunes present in the area and pipelines should be laid using advance method of horizontal directional drilling.” The petitioner has stated that “APSEZ has managed to get an Environment Impact Assessment report on false facts.”