Disappearing village forests: Orissa HC dismisses petition against an order of BDA

The Orissa High Court dismissed a petition challenging the Bhubaneswar Development Authority’s (BDA) decision to reject a proposal for constructing a metallic road through a village forest (chhota jungle).

A division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice BP Routray upheld the BDA’s 2023 order, emphasising the need to protect shrinking green zones from urbanisation. The judgment, delivered on April 9, was made public on April 16.

Background of the Case

Local resident Brahmananda Mangaraj filed the plea in March 2024 after the BDA denied permission to build a road connecting a mud pathway in Bhubaneswar tehsil to a main thoroughfare.

Villagers argued the pathway was essential for daily commute and claimed no trees would be harmed and that photographs submitted as evidence showed minimal vegetation at the site.

Court Flags 'Gradual Erosion' of Forests

While acknowledging villagers’ needs, the bench criticised the alarming erosion of forests due to unchecked urban expansion.

“It is really a sordid state of affairs that the area which is included in the village forest is being gradually eroded and diminishing because of the rapid urbanisation,” the court observed. It warned that deforestation would worsen the climate crisis, citing global concerns over ecological balance.

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The judges noted that the submitted photos inadvertently highlighted the forest’s degradation over time. “We would not be incorrect in perceiving the gradual conversion of the forest evident from the photographs produced before us,” the bench stated.

The ruling stressed that village forests play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and curbing global warming and said that “the state and its instrumentality must take a strong decision in this regard.”