The High Court, Biratnagar has given an interim order to the Ratuwamai municipality not to implement the decision to cut down the roadside trees within the city area. The bench of the High Court, Biratnagar Judges Dhurbaraj Nanda and Mamta Khanal, issued an interim order on September 30, 2024, halting the implementation of the decision to cut trees. Previously, the bench of the High Court, Biratnagar Judge Keshav Prasad Bastola on 24 September had given a short-term interim order not to implement the municipality’s decision to cut trees.
Advocates Lawan Neupane and Binodmani Bhattarai filed a writ in the High Court, Biratnagar, on September 22, 2024, following the municipality’s notice to cut trees along the main road and inner road areas. Nageshwar Prasad Singh Gangai, the mayor of Ratuwamai Municipality, issued a notice on September 13, stating that roadside trees will be cut starting from October 16 due to concerns that they obstruct traffic.
In the writ registered by the advocates, it was claimed that the local government’s action to cut trees was initiated without any environmental study, environmental impact assessment, or alternative plan. They argued that this decision violated the fundamental rights outlined in Articles 30 and 35 of the Constitution.