NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has pulled up Meghalaya for not utilising funds meant for the welfare of people.
A bench, comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta, said on Wednesday that the affidavit filed by the northeastern state did not even mention clearly the amount collected under the Compensatory Afforestation Funds Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) lying in the banks.
“It is too much… This is turning out to be a joke,” the bench said and termed it a “very badly drafted” affidavit. It granted four weeks to Meghalaya to file a better affidavit and asked the chief secretary of the state to be present before it on the next date of hearing.
The court was hearing a PIL filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta who had raised the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region.
A “frustrated” Apex Court, while ruing the fact that around Rs 1 lakh crore worth of funds meant to protect the environment and benefit the people was being diverted for other purposes, said, “We are being befooled by the executive.”
“It is very clear that the amount was used for purposes, other than what it was entrusted. How far you want the court to go? We trusted the executive but they say they will do whatever they want,” the SC bench said.
The issue of usage of these funds for other purposes cropped up when the apex court perused an affidavit filed by the chief secretary of Odisha and observed that the money was being used for construction of roads, renovation of bus stands and science laboratory in colleges.
“This money is meant for the benefit of the people. It is to be utilised for that only and not as a part of your governance,” the court told the counsel representing Odisha. (PTI)
