SC-APPOINTED COMMITTEE OBJECTS TO UPGRADING OF ROAD THROUGH RAJAJI
RISHIKESH: The Supreme Courtappointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has objected to the Uttarakhand forest department upgrading an approximately nine-km stretch of the Laldhang-Chillarkhal road through the buffer zone of Rajaji Tiger Reserve without taking statutory clearances.
The department had the permission of the Pauri district administration to repair just a patch of the road but it upgraded it in violation of a Supreme Court order, the CEC said. Objecting to the upgrading of the stretch, the panel, looking into irregularities in the Corbett and Rajaji reserves, said the Pauri district magistrate had permitted to repair just a patch of the Laldhang-Chillarkhal road in the buffer zone of Rajaji.
But the forest department upgraded its stretch of nine km without informing the Supreme Court or obtaining statutory clearances, the panel said. It is in violation of a Supreme Court order of July 29, 2019 which says no road activity shall be undertaken in the reserve area without taking statutory approvals under section 38 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The CEC is looking into both upgrading of the LaldhangChllarkhal road without necessary clearances and illegal felling of trees, besides the construction of buildings and a water body in Corbett Tiger Reserve. The CEC’s record of discussions of its meeting on April 29 and circulated among senior Uttarakhand officials, including its chief secretary, carries the signature of its member secretary Amarnath Shetty. A copy of the record has also been accessed by PTI.
The CEC has sought the list of officers with names and designation, including DFOs, posted in jurisdictions of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and Corbett Tiger Reserve from April 2021 to March 2022. It has also sought the names of Uttarakhand’s secretary/additional chief secretary dealing with the forest and wildlife matters and copies of the tour diaries and inspection notes connected with inspections or field visits of the two regions (Rajaji and Corbett).