4 Feb 2020



Haridwar: After years of back and forth, work on the controversial Laldhang-Chillarkhal road may soon get started as the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given a go-ahead to the project.

The road, proposed to cut down travel time between Garhwal and Kumaon, will cut through the reserve forest area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) which has a healthy wildlife population. The 11.5-km-long road also includes a 4.5 km stretch from Chamaria Bend to Siggadi Sot — which is the sole wildlife corridor between Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) and RTR, which are the two premier sanctuaries of Uttarakhand.

In June last year, the project had been put on hold by the Supreme Court which had directed the state government to first get clearance from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and NBWL before commencing with the motor road project.

Subsequently, the NTCA asked Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to submit its observations on the project. Scientists at the Tiger Cell of WII recommended a “status quo” on the stretch between Chamaria Bend and Siggadi Sot. WII recommendations, a copy of which is with TOI

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