High court stays highway plan in pristine Western Ghats

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted an interim stay on the controversial “Greenfield Highway” project linking Shishila (Dakshina Kannada) with Byrapura (Chikkamagaluru) cutting through the pristine Western Ghats and issued notices to various stakeholders.

Seeking an alternative alignment for the construction of the highway and restraining the parties from carrying out any construction or survey activity as part of the project, Vinay Madhav, a resident of Makonahalli village in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru filed a PIL before the HC. Hearing the petition, a divisional bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Pradeep Singh Yerur ordered notices to the respondents including the Centre, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, MoEF, the state government, forest department and NHAI besides issuing an interim stay on the work.