New Delhi:

The Supreme Court recently appointed an expert committee to study the conservation of the great bustard, which is “non-negotiable” and “a need for sustainable development in the context of fulfilling the country’s international commitments to promote renewable energy.”

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra passed the observation order while dealing with matters related to protection of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

The court has asked the committee to submit its report by July and listed the matter as a case for the second week of August 2024.

“We consider it appropriate if an expert committee is appointed to balance the need to protect the GIB, which is non-negotiable, with the need for sustainable development, especially in the context of fulfilling the country’s mandate to promote renewable energy. international commitments,” the court said in its March 21 order.

During the hearing, the court emphasized the importance of taking proactive measures to protect the GIB.

“There is no dispute that the GIB as a species is critically endangered. At the same time, during the course of the hearing it was found that there is no sufficient basis for a blanket ban on the installation of transmission lines covering an area exceeding 88,000 square kilometers,” the court order reads.

The committee includes Director, Wildlife Research Institute, Dehradun; Hari Shankar Singh, Member, National Wildlife Board; Niranjan Kumar Vasu, Former Chief Conservator of Forests; B Majumdar, Former Chief Wildlife Warden, Maharashtra and chief conservator of forests; and Devesh Gadhavi, deputy director of the Corbett Foundation, among others.

The committee will determine the scope, feasibility and extent of overhead and underground power lines in priority areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat identified in the Wildlife Research Institute of India report.

The Commission will also examine the need for conservation measures for the fauna of the GIB and other specific terrain and desert features and identify measures in priority areas to ensure the long-term survival of these fauna. Gibb.

It will also look for suitable alternatives on the issue of laying long-distance power lines in the future in the context of sustainable development, which should balance the protection of the bustard and the protection of the bustard, as well as the arrangement of power lines within a reasonable range. This will help India fulfill its international commitments to develop renewable energy.

“The prohibition imposed in the order dated April 19, 2021 with respect to the areas described as potential areas shall be relaxed accordingly, subject to the condition that the expert committee appointed by this court may formulate to cover the priority and potential areas,” the court said.

The Court clarified that the Commission is free to implement any additional measures in priority and potential areas if it deems it appropriate, including consideration of the effectiveness and suitability of installing bird diverters on existing and future power lines.

Earlier, a three-judge bench directed the authorities concerned to convert overhead power lines into underground power lines.

The court order came on a plea seeking protection of two bird species, including the Great Indian Bustard.

The petition states that the presence of overhead power lines has become a hazard, resulting in the birds being killed in the aforementioned collisions.

The petitioners say overhead power lines are the biggest threat to GIB’s survival.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)