Forest Road Construction Halted in Seraj Over Eco Fears

The Himachal Pradesh high court has issued a restraining order on all construction and tarring of forest roads within the Seraj assembly constituency of Mandi district. This significant judicial intervention follows concerns raised about alleged violations of the Himachal Pradesh Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and potential ecological damage.

A division bench observed that a significant number of roads, reported to be 55 within the Nachan Forest Division, were allegedly constructed without the requisite forest clearances. Many proposals for such approvals were still pending from the user agency, even though construction had already commenced. The court also noted that work on five roads remained incomplete.

Further scrutiny revealed the presence of 16 helipads in Seraj, raising concerns about their potential to disturb wildlife and the need for environmental impact assessments. The bench also took note of large-scale felling of green trees for road construction, alongside a separate list of roads approved under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, after August 19 this year.

The court reiterated its August 17 order, prohibiting any construction or tarring on forest roads until further notice. This action stems from a suo motu PIL initiated due to apprehensions that ecologically fragile areas were being exposed through forest clearances, with roads providing access to areas attracting heavy footfall despite limited local populations. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 2.