VIJAYAWADA: The AP High Court on Friday issued notices to Chief Conservator of Forest and Principal Secretary (Forest) while warning the State officials of serious consequences if the trees are axed to make way for issuing house sites to the poor. Dealing with a PIL filed by R Ganga Naidu urging the court to intervene and stop the efforts of the government to take over 3.96 acres of land at Gabbada in
Narsipatnam mandal of Visakhapatnam district for giving them as house sites to the poor, the division bench of Chief Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice K Lalitha took a serious view of the issue and asked the revenue department that which law gives permission for cutting trees and give the land as house sites to poor. The bench said if the Principal Secretary (Forest) fails to submit an affidavit with an assurance that trees will not be felled, the court will consider it as violation of the Supreme Court directives.