The Bench was considering a case concerning quarrying and construction activities in Wayanad on which it had reserved its verdict on July 29, the day before the landslides struck the district.
“The deaths and destruction that it unleashed in our State has forced us to re-consider the tentative decisions that we had arrived at in these matters,” the Court said to explain its decision to list the matter again today.
In its order touching on the balancing act that now needs to be played between development and preserving environmental stability, the Court urged the State government to formulate better policies to regulate developmental activities.
The Court emphasised that the State government has to act as a guardian of natural resources int he State, keeping in mind the doctrine of public trust.
“The doctrine enjoins upon the Government to protect the resources for enjoyment of the general public rather than to permit their use for private ownership or commercial purposes,” the Court explained.
Source: Barandbench
