SC sets up expert committee to look into tree feeling for bridge construction

The Supreme Court on Thursday set up an expert committee to look into the felling of trees to construct a bridge in the country's eastern border connecting Barasat to Petrapole.

"In these circumstances, we consider appropriate that there will be a committee of two experts Soham Pandya, Rishi Mukherjee, and Sunita Narain and a project engineer from WB to work on this," a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said.

The petition filed by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (ADR) claimed that a bridge is being constructed in the eastern border at a location known as Jessore road.

"If cutting of trees will be there, there will be environmental degradation," the petition stated.

The committee is tasked to file a report in five weeks. State of West Bengal will make adequate arrangements for lodging and boarding, the apex Court said.