Friday, 09 December 2022 | PNS | NAINITAL
The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the State government and Forest secretary to submit a compliance report by February 27 regarding action taken on the directions issued in the past by the court for protection of elephant corridors. The division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice RC Khulbe issued this direction while hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Independent Medical Initiative Society. During the hearing on Thursday, the government counsel informed the court that the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has the authority to implement the directions of the HC. The State government had sent the court directions to the NBWL and is awaiting its report. The petitioner informed the court that the State government had not yet implemented the directions issued by the HC in the past.
The HC had directed the State government in the past to consider declaring the elephant corridors in the Jim Corbett National Park/ Ramnagar forest as eco-sensitive zones under the Environment Protection Act. The court had directed the respondent-authorities not to allow construction in any form like hotels, resorts, restaurants etc. which fall within the identified elephant corridors in the area in question. It had further directed the respondent-authorities to protect the already identified elephant corridors in the area and to depute competent and sufficient staff on either side of the elephant corridors to ensure safe passage to the elephants in the night hours between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM through the identified elephant corridors. The HC had further directed the respondents not to allow, or undertake, any further road construction which cuts across the identified elephant corridors without providing adequate infrastructure to allow unobstructed and safe movement of wild elephants across such roads. The court had already directed the respondents not to use chilli powder to prevent movement of elephants in their corridors. The court had then ordered that the said direction shall continue and the respondents were also restrained from using any other obstructive methods to prevent movement of wild elephants in the corridors by using gun-shots and electric fence.
Delhi-based Independent Medical Initiative Society had filed the PIL in the HC stating that commercial buildings have been constructed after encroaching on 11 elephant corridors in the State. Three of these corridors are situated along the 27 kilometre highway adjoining the Ramnagar-Mohaan border while more than 150 commercial constructions are underway in the elephant corridor in Dhikuli area of Corbett. The petitioner had stated that instead of preventing human interference in forests, the Forest department is preventing elephants from coming on the highway with the use of chilli powder and crackers. This is bringing a change in the behaviour of elephants and making it violent, the petitioner had stated.
