SHILLONG: A PIL has been filed in the Meghalaya High Court seeking necessary orders to stay the process of setting up of 233 new petrol pumps recently advertised by oil marketing companies IOC, HPCL and BPCL in the state.
The PIL was filed seeking direction to the oil marketing companies as well as various departments of the state and the Centre against the large number of new retail outlets.
K Paul, the advocate appearing for the petitioner, argued that Meghalaya with 206 existing retail outlets is already “over-flooded with 3 to 5 times” higher the number of outlets compared with similar nature of other neighbouring northeastern states and “installing another 233 new outlets will result in deforestation, pollution, destruction of environment, felling up of trees, etc which would not only disturb the topography of the area but would also affect human habitation, besides causing other negative effects”.
The PIL said the actions of the oil marketing companies without assessing the environmental impact and obtaining environment clearance showing justifiable need and requirement of the same is not in line with provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1986, Indian Forest Act 1927, Forest Conservation Act 1980, Water and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and other allied acts and notifications.
The petitioner also said Meghalaya is mountainous with stretches of valley and hills and has rich diversity of flora and fauna and several rivers which will get polluted due to unregulated and rampant construction of petrol pumps all across highways, state roads and in hamlets.
The petitioner pointed out that the Centre “is actively promoting use of electric vehicles” and claimed that every vehicle sold in the country should be powered by electricity by 2030.
“Besides, government is promoting manufacture and use of biogas as an alternative fuel to control damage to environment” and an arbitrary decision to set up 233 pumps cannot be taken in absence of a justifiable requirement for the same.
According to the PIL, a large number of these petrol pumps were also advertised in the areas which are under reserve as well as protected forest category, national park, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserve.
“Meghalaya with approximately 6 percent share in population and 6 percent share in the number of registered vehicles among the northeastern states has almost 15 percent share in the number of petrol pumps and as such setting up of another 233 new outlets will have a very huge negative impact on densely forested state which is gradually decreasing every passing day,” the petitioner added.
The High Court has issued notices to all respondents to be returnable within four weeks’ time for further listing of the case.
