SC Stresses Balance In Plea Against Buses In Corbett Core Area

The Supreme Court on Friday has highlighted the importance of balancing rights while considering a plea against the Jim Corbett National Park’s decision to allow private operator buses within its core area in Uttarakhand.

The court, which had earlier stayed the park’s decision issued on December 23, 2020, held a hearing on Friday before Justices BR Gavai and K V Viswanathan.

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, representing the petitioner, informed the court that a significant portion of the forest road in question traverses through the buffer and core zones of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The state’s counsel clarified that while 4 km of the road falls within the core area, the remaining 45 km is outside it.

Bansal referenced an affidavit indicating that out of a total 73 km stretch, 37 km passes through the buffer area, 26 km through the core zone, and 10 km through revenue land. The court emphasized the need to ensure access for villages while maintaining ecological balance within the reserve.

The bench requested assistance from an advocate specializing in environmental and wildlife cases and scheduled the next hearing for August. The petitioner has alleged that the decision to allow private buses within the core area was intended to benefit a private company, contrary to the Wildlife Protection Act’s provisions.

The plea seeks the cancellation of the park director’s order, citing Section 38 (O) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which mandates that tiger reserves must not be used for ecologically unsustainable purposes without the approval of the National Board for Wildlife and the advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

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