Uttarakhand High Court prohibits the construction of a highway road in a reserved forest.

NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand high court on Monday barred builder Upendra Jindal from constructing a highway road in the reserved forest of Nainital’s Pangoot area. The order was issued while the court was hearing a petition filed by Budhiakot’s gramme Pradhan (which falls under the Pangoot area).

According to the petition, villagers applied in 2013 for the construction of a pedestrian path. Following a thorough investigation, the state forest department provided exact coordinates along which the pedestrian path was to be built, and a hand-drawn map signed by the village Pradhan was also approved. The petition claims that the approved coordinates were changed to suit the builder, who is also an hotelier. The builder began instead of a pedestrian path, according to the PIL.

Building a highway road the applicant also claimed that the forest area is under the jurisdiction of the Naina Devi Bird Conservation Centre.

Following a hearing, the division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice RC Khulbe barred builder Upendra Jindal from using heavy machinery in the reserved forest area, including the JCB machine. In the meantime, the court has asked the state forest department to file a counter-affidavit in the case. On February 15, 2023, the case will be heard again.