The Eastern Voice correspondent
Uttrakhand. Following strong protests from local people, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an immediate stop to the cutting of 4369 trees for the Bhaniyawala to Rishikesh road project. The road expansion, which threatened an important elephant corridor in the environmentally sensitive Shivalik forest range, had been facing heavy public opposition for weeks.
The protests reached a peak when local residents physically stopped chainsaws and marked a “Black Harela” day, mourning the loss of the forest instead of celebrating the state’s traditional tree planting festival. The movement gained national attention as opposition leaders joined the protesters in Dehradun, forcing the government to review the project’s environmental impact.
On July 18, 2026, CM Dhami suspended all tree-cutting work, saying that no development project would move forward without the agreement of environmentalists and local stakeholders.
Although more than 400 trees had already been cut, the decision is a major victory for activists working to protect the Shivalik ecosystem. It shows that development projects cannot ignore public trust and environmental responsibility, setting a strong example for future infrastructure projects in the region.
