NGT halts Jim Corbett's Pakhro Tiger Safari project after trees cut illegally

NGT halts Jim Corbett's Pakhro Tiger Safari project after trees cut illegally

Development lies in limbo until a committee identifies offenders and environmental damage is undone

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered that the Pakhro Tiger Safari expansion plan in Jim Corbett National Park be halted, as around 6,000 trees were illegally cut for the project.

The case was initiated by the tribunal suo moto based on an article in a publication. The newspaper claimed that the Forest Survey of India (FSI) reported the cutting of 6,000 trees illegally as opposed to the sanctioned 163 trees for the safari project.

The bench comprising Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Justice Sudhir Agarwal, and an expert member Professor A Senthil Veil noted that the illegality of cutting the trees was clearly acknowledged. It stated that while environmental damage is taken care of, accountability must also be fixed.

The tribunal stated, "We constitute a three-member committee comprising the DG, Forest Department; ADG, Wildlife Department; and ADG, Project Tiger, to identify the violators and take steps for ecological restoration. The report, with specific recommendations, may be furnished to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change within a month. The steps for further course of action be finalized within the next month. Till then, the project is not allowed to proceed."