NGT quashes UP govt's notice for setting up wood-based industries in state

The National Green Tribunal has quashed a notice issued by the Uttar Pradesh government for establishing new wood-based industries in the state, saying hardly any timber will be available for these units.

In the notice issued on March 1, 2019, the UP government had proposed to issue licences for 1,350 new wood-based industries.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said if new industries are allowed to open based on wrong estimation of availability of timber, it may result in clandestine supply of wood and illegal cutting of trees.

Such a situation may not be allowed to come up in view of 'precautionary' principle of environmental law, it said.

"State should therefore make an inventory, species-wise and district-wise, and also have species-wise consumption data of all the wood-based industries and their capacity to utilise them and not proceed with the present proposal till further exercise of making inventory and assessment of actual availability of timber/raw ..