The Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed the Punjab flood de-silting e-tenders to move forward. The court stressed that the process must strictly follow the Union Ministry of Environment and Climate Change guidelines and the state’s Detailed Project Report (DPR).
The Division Bench, led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry, said the permission depends on pending petitions and urgent flood relief needs. Advocate-General Maninderjeet Singh Bedi assured the court that all environmental safeguards would be observed.
Earlier, the State had promised not to finalise e-tenders until the court’s decision. But due to the urgency of clearing silt after the floods, permission was sought to proceed immediately.
Public interest petitions raised concerns that de-silting could be misused for illegal mining. The court noted that de-silting is for river management and silt has no commercial value. Any deviation from the approved guidelines could lead to misuse.
The state assured the court that all tenders will comply with MoEFCC guidelines and the DPR. The court allowed the e-tender finalisation to proceed under these strict conditions.
