SC Puts Brakes on Road Plan, Saves 875 Trees in Shimla's Himri Forests
Villagers allege road was misaligned to favour forest and mining mafia; Supreme Court steps in to halt tree felling
Shimla, June 24: In a major win for forest conservation, the Supreme Court has halted the axing of 875 trees for a road project in the Himri forests under Shimla Rural constituency — represented by PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh.
The apex court issued a stay on the tree felling after a plea was filed by Himri resident Vijayendra Pal Singh.
The court intervened even as the main case is still pending before the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
What triggered the Supreme Court’s intervention? Petitioners have alleged a deep nexus between local officials, the forest and mining mafia.
They claim over 17 km of illegal roads have been bulldozed inside the dense DPF (Demarcated Protected Forests) of Himri, Reog and Naltu, completely bypassing due environmental permissions.
He said that this particular Himri-Nallah road could have easily been realigned to avoid dense forest patches — saving both money and trees.
Instead, the alignment chosen passes through thick forest, leading to the proposed felling of nearly 900 trees.
“They are building roads not for villagers, but for smugglers,” said one local resident, pointing towards the unaddressed timber and mining loot in the area.
Veteran environmental activist and ex-Army officer Major General Atul Kaushik (Retd), who has been supporting the villagers, said, “This stay is not just about trees. It’s about stopping an organised loot of our forest wealth under the garb of connectivity.”
Kaushik’s NGO, Pahari Samaj Paryavaran Kawach, has also moved to become a party in the case, citing how similar road alignments have already caused massive damage in nearby forest belts.
The petitioners have made it clear — they are not against rural connectivity. What they oppose is the deliberate misalignment of roads to benefit illegal timber and mining interests.
They said alternative routes exist that would not only shorten the distance but also reduce the number of trees to be cut by over 80%.
This isn’t the first time the forests of Himri have been under attack. Maple and deodar trees have been systematically felled in the past, complaints ignored, and even confiscated wood mysteriously disappeared after initial raids by vigilance teams AP Singh claims.
The villagers have also filed a separate complaint regarding suspected forgery and falsification of documents in the alignment of the Himri-Naltu-Reog road, but the vigilance department has yet to act decisively.
For now, the Supreme Court’s intervention has given the forests — and the people who rely on them — a much-needed breather. But the fight to protect Shimla’s green lungs is far from over.
#SaveHimriForest #TreeNotTarmac #ShimlaGreenJustice
