U'khand HC slams govt over living conditions of Van Gujjars
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court has reprimanded the state government for stopping some Van Gujjar families on the way to GovindPashuVihar National Park in Uttarkashi district and said their right to life is being violated by the authorities.
Hearing a PIL filed by an NGO to seek the court's intervention in addressing the plight of the forest-dwelling nomadic families on Tuesday, a division bench of the Uttarakhand High Court comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma ordered immediate steps to address the problems of the families.
"...Prima facie, the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is being violated by the respondents," the court observed.
It directed steps should be taken to allow their entry into the park to eke out a living if they test negative for COVID-19 and have the required legal documents with them.
On Advocate General S N Babulkar's contention that the entry of these families may endanger the wildlife at the park as the coronavirus may spread from human beings
to animals, the court said
they should immediately be tested for COVID-19. "In case they are found to be negative and if they are valid permit holders arrangements shall be made to permit them to enter the park for the duration allowed by law, it said. Referring to the photographs submitted by the petitioner along with the supplementary affidavit, the high court said they "clearly reveal that the families are forced to live in open tents, in open field, under the open sky.
