Subscribe
Wildlife activists in Uttarakhand have hailed a recent ruling by the state high court that offers protection to elephant corridors, even as the state goes all out with development projects in such areas.
On January 10, 2026, the Uttarakhand High Court closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after applying a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that prioritises the ‘Right of passage’ for elephants over development.
Activists were relieved to hear the retiring judge’s verdict on the PIL which demanded notifying elephant corridors in Uttarakhand.
The high court on January 10 cited the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in the case of Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve which said that protecting wildlife corridors is integral to preserving biodiversity and mitigating human-animal conflict.
For example, two days before the PIL’s judgment was pronounced, 4, 000 trees were felled at Asharodi, pointed out Abhijay Negi, counsel for the petitioner in the Uttarakhand High Court.
Citing examples of proposed development and infrastructure projects, petitioner Reenu Paul said the court’s verdict will help in assuring better legal protection to elephant corridors.
Whether it is buildings, roads or even the development of the state capital’s airport, projects across Uttarakhand are impinging on vital arterial patches of forest that connect elephant populations.
Construction or widening of roads is threatening elephant corridors all across the Terai belt of Uttarakhand.
Take, for instance, the Laldhang-Chillarkhal Motor Road Project. This project aims to create a direct road link from Kotdwar in Pauri district to Haridwar and Lansdowne without passing through Uttar Pradesh.
Construction on this road, which runs through a critical corridor connecting the Corbett and Rajaji Tiger Reserves, has been repeatedly stayed by the Supreme Court since June 2019. The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) reportedly granted fresh approval in August 2025, but the state government has been directed to pursue the matter before the apex court again, and work remains stalled.
The Dugadda-Gumkhal Road (NH-534) Project involves upgrading the highway to a double-lane standard, with tree-marking completed in late 2025. The work here is also under judicial oversight due to its location within the broader elephant reserve area.
Finally, there is the Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh and Haridwar-Kashipur road widening project.
The Bhaniyawala-Rishikesh project proposes four-laning a section of NH-7 that requires felling about 4,000 trees in the Shivalik Elephant Reserve area near the Rajaji National Park. This project is currently under a High Court stay.
The Shivalik Elephant Reserve was notified on October 29, 2002, by the Uttarakhand forest department. The reserve includes reserve forests and protected areas in the Rajaji and Corbett National Park, Kalsi, Narendranagar, Dehradun, Haridwar, Lansdowne, Ramnagar, Terai Central, Terai East, Terai West, Haldwani and Champawat Forest Divisions.
Encompassing an area of 5,405.07 sq km, the reserve is located in the southern part of the state bordering with the Uttar Pradesh Elephant Reserve in the south.
The Haridwar-Kashipur (Chidiyapur Corridor) Road Project involves highway expansion on NH-74. It includes the construction of six dedicated wildlife underpasses to mitigate habitat fragmentation between the Najibabad and Rajaji forest divisions.
The Bhaniyawala–Rishikesh project involves felling an additional 4,000 trees. These roads act as physical barriers, restricting elephant movement between the Rajaji National Park ecosystem and the lower Himalayas.
The proposed construction of a new Assembly Secretariat building near Raipur-Bhopalpani is expected to further displace parts of the corridor, with solar fencing installed to prevent elephants from crossing into what was previously their natural path.
The High Court on January 10 ordered that no trees be felled for the highway project between Rishikesh and Bhaniyawala (which involves 4,400 trees) until the matter is decided by the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice of India-led bench.
The state government had stated that no construction and fragmentation will be allowed in elephant corridors. However, authorities, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), have gone ahead with tree-felling for the Asharodi-Jhajra bypass. “The proposed Asharodi bypass is part of the 82-kilometre outer ring road. The bypass will fragment the Timli forest range which is rich in wildlife and falls in the buffer zone of the Shivalik Elephant Corridor,” said Paul.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed to expand Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport, which is located in the Thano forest range of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve. This project is highly contentious and involves the potential felling of around 6,000 trees for the diversion of approximately 48 hectares of forest land. The plan has faced public protests, and previous High Court stays, and its current progress is under scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
The airport expansion has faced ecological scrutiny since 2020. The Shivalik Elephant Reserve was briefly de-notified to facilitate the project but was later re-notified following legal challenges and public outcry. A previous proposal had sought the diversion of 87 hectares (214 acres) of forest land, requiring nearly 9,700 trees to be cut, but it was shelved after strong opposition.
“The Teen Paani elephant corridor will be adversely affected if the Jolly Grant Airport is expanded,” said Paul.
The Supreme Court and the Uttarakhand High Court have taken a strong stance, applying a 2020 Supreme Court precedent that states once land is identified as an elephant corridor, no construction or commercial activity is permitted.
The Supreme Court, in December 2025 and January 2026, initiated suo motu action against “systematic forest land grabbing” and ordered an immediate halt to all construction on protected forest land in the state, holding officials accountable for past negligence.
It urged all parties to respect the directives, ensuring swift adjudication of remaining disputes.
The current verdict will hopefully provide better legal protection to the elephant corridors in Uttarakhand.