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The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a status report on the compliance of its earlier order directing the States of Rajasthan and Gujarat to convert their overhead power cables into underground power lines for the protection of the Great Indian Bustard.

The bench of Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian further asked the committee to file a status report on the compliances of the order.

The present matter is a Public Interest Litigation sought against the State, its agencies, and other corporates operating in the said region for undergrounding high voltage wires in ‘priority areas’ and installation of diverters in the ‘potential areas’ of the Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered species.

Court has asked the States to submit a status report on affidavit indicating what steps have been taken for compliance with the directions contained in the judgment of this Court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court in its judgment on undergrounding of power lines in priority areas of Great Indian Bustard, in the parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, had directed (i) undergrounding in the areas feasible (ii) installation of diverters pending consideration of undergrounding (iii) constituted a three-member committee to evaluate the same.

A Full Bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian, while delivering its verdict had directed the respondents to proceed with undergrounding of power lines in the areas possible and further allowed an interim relief of installation of diverters. A three member committee had been formed to evaluate the same.

The bench had also taken note of the fact that power lines which obstruct the flight path of the Great Indian Bustard bird were immensely hazardous as they result in collision and death of the critically endangered bird.

Court had further observed that one of the solutions to this could be of determining the area of the flight path of these birds and taking down the overhead lines to lay them underground. 

Cause Title: M.K. Ranjitsinh & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors