The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday directed the state government to submit a detailed report on the survival and health of trees transplanted during the Sahastradhara Road expansion project in Dehradun.
A bench comprising Chief Justice G. Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra issued the direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Dehradun-based environmental activist Reenu Paul. The plea challenges the proposed felling of over 4,369 trees in the Shivalik Elephant Reserve for a road-widening project between Bhaniyawala in Dehradun and Rishikesh.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Abhijay Negi, argued that past tree transplantation efforts along Sahastradhara Road had shown poor survival rates. He submitted photographs to demonstrate the deteriorating condition of transplanted trees and questioned the effectiveness of such mitigation measures in the present project.
Negi informed the court that the Forest Research Institute (FRI) has proposed transplanting around 700 trees out of the total 4,369 trees affected by the Bhaniyawala–Rishikesh road-widening plan. He opposed the proposal, contending that previous transplantation attempts had failed on the ground.
Taking note of the submissions, the bench directed the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary to appear before the court at the next hearing with a comprehensive report detailing the survival rate and current condition of trees transplanted during the Sahastradhara Road project. The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 19.
The Shivalik Elephant Reserve, which lies at the centre of the dispute, is a vital elephant corridor linking the western and eastern portions of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve across the Ganga. It has been identified by the Wildlife Trust of India as a critical habitat for elephants.
The PIL seeks quashing of the proposal to cut more than 3,300 trees within the reserve, which spans about 5,405 square kilometres across eight districts. The petitioner has argued that widening the Bhaniyawala–Rishikesh stretch would fragment the elephant corridor, escalate human-elephant conflict, and cause irreversible damage to forest cover.
In March this year, the high court had directed the National Highways Authority of India and the state forest department to consult the FRI and explore options to save the maximum number of trees by transplanting them to nearby forest areas. The authorities were also asked to strictly follow FRI’s technical guidelines to ensure successful transplantation.
Negi also referred to a 2022 observation of the high court in another matter relating to tree transplantation, where the state had claimed nearly 100 per cent survival of 972 transplanted trees along a different project corridor. While the court had then noted visible signs of regrowth, the petitioner contended that the actual condition of transplanted trees on Sahastradhara Road tells a different story.
The issue has assumed added importance in view of Uttarakhand’s growing elephant population. As per the June 2023 elephant census, the state is home to 2,026 elephants, up from 1,559 in 2012 and 1,839 in 2017, highlighting the ecological sensitivity of the Shivalik region as prime elephant habitat.
