HC stays 'illegal' road construction on forest land in Pithoragarh

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday stayed the construction of a road in Suneti village of Thal tehsil in Pithoragarh district after a public interest litigation alleged that green trees were being cut and a road was being built on forest land without proper permission. The court directed the forest secretary to file a response and submit a progress report on the action taken, while also asking how the road construction and tree cutting took place without required approvals or administrative oversight. It further sought guidance from the central government on preventing such incidents in the future and issued notices to respondents Krishna Joshi and Mohan Joshi. The PIL, filed by local resident Bhaskar Chandra Joshi, claimed that no approval had been obtained from the environment board, the Government of India, or the state government, and alleged that despite villagers raising complaints with local authorities, no concrete action had been taken. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 1.