PIL against wedding celebrations of Gupta brothers’ sons in Auli

Nainital: In fresh trouble for the embattled Gupta brothers, who have planned the wedding of their sons in Auli, a Kashipur resident has filed a PIL in the high court stating that the ceremony is being held in gross violation of environmental norms.
The hearing in the case is likely to come up on Monday.
In a PIL filed before the high court on Friday, petitioner Rakshit Joshi said that hundreds of tents are being set up in the eco-sensitive region while permission has been granted only for a few.He added that such a high-profile wedding will generate tonnes of garbage causing much damage to the environment apart from other violations by the businessmen.
Hence, Joshi requested the court to direct the state government to conduct an environmental assessment and seek compensation from Gupta brothers for the damage caused.
The petition also stated that the state government has taken no steps to conserve the pristine alpine meadows despite clear directions by the high court.
Last year, the HC had directed the state government to consider declaring all alpine meadows and high-altitude valleys as national parks or sanctuaries. It had also ordered the removal of all permanent structures in the region and banned overnight stay citing it a threat to the fragile ecosystem.
According to sources, while Ajay Gupta’s son Suryakant’s wedding is scheduled from June 18 to 20, Atul Gupta’s son Shashank will get married in a ceremony from June 20 to 22. Almost all the hotels and resorts in Auli have been booked for the week-long festivities, for which flowers are being imported from Switzerland. Helicopters have also been hired to ferry the guests.