Residents protest in Doon to protect Shivalik reserve trees

Dehradun: Educationists, environmentalists and youth activists staged a protest outside the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) office in Dehradun, alleging that the ongoing felling of 4,000 trees in the Shivalik Elephant Reserve violates conservation laws.The protesters expressed dismay over felling mature trees during the Harela month when Uttarakhand traditionally and culturally celebrates greenery, and cutting trees is not considered a good sign. While in recent years state also conducts mass sapling plantation drives are conducted especially with key focus on planting trees that provide food for wildlife. Ironically, reverse is happening, protesters said.The demonstration drew a diverse crowd, including university and school students vocal about habitat fragmentation. Protesters noted that the targeted reserve area serves as a critical wildlife corridor (Kansrau-Barkot and part of Teenpani) where herds of elephants and deer regularly traverse the road to access a nearby river. Neha, a college student, warned that expanding the highway would drastically multiply air and noise pollution in an active wildlife zone.

During the protest, Anoop Nautiyal, founder of Social Development for Communities, questioned the need for widening the route, noting he had rarely encountered traffic congestion on it.Advocate Mayank Dutta alleged that the official project blueprints cite “VIP movement” as a primary justification for the upgrade.A member of Doon-based Citizens for Green Doon, Himanshu Arora, reminded the gathering that the Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 Mudumalai judgement explicitly mandated the protection of vital elephant corridors against disruptive developmental projects.The ₹743 crore, 20 km project aims to streamline connectivity between Dehradun, Jolly Grant Airport and Rishikesh, facilitating travel for tourists and Char Dham pilgrims.While NHAI project director Saurabh Singh declined to comment on the protest, official project documentation outlines several mitigation measures recommended by the Wildlife Institute of India and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). These include the transplantation of 754 trees, a major bridge-cum-elephant underpass, four dedicated elephant underpasses, green guide hedges, anti-glare screens and designated “no-horn” zones.The demonstrators also submitted a formal application demanding full legal disclosure and the immediate release of all administrative permissions obtained for the tree felling.