WII scuttles Uttarakhand govt’s 22 km road widening plan on high altitude of Chamoli

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII)’s study report has scuttled the Uttarakhand government’s plan to widen the 22-kilometre Pipalkoti–Pashulok Barrage road citing the presence of tigers and other wildlife wealth in the area. The institute has submitted a report to Uttarakhand government forbidding Public Works Department (PWD) from implementation of road widening project in the high altitude of district Chamoli.

The WII report, prepared at the request of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government, rejected the widening of the Pashulok Barrage to Garud Chatti and Pipalkoti Road. According to WII, road widening cannot take place because the road passes through the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTV). It’s notable that approval of this road construction was given in 1987 when the Rajaji Tiger Reserve was not in existence. Currently, the road is single-lane and PWD was directed by the state government to prepare a road widening project in order to meet the challanges of increasing traffic pressure on this track.

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Proposal to widen the road was submitted to the State Wildlife Board in 2025. The Board had decided to forward the project to WII with recommendation for a study should first be conduct. WII has now handed over its study report to the Public Works Department (PWD).
Officials of the state forest department informed that report categorically denied the implementation of the road widening plan for the presence of substantial wildlife including tigers in the area. Officials have stated that WII report is accompanied with multiple photographs of wildlife wealth captured in camera traps installed there.

Following WII’s negative report against the road widening project PWD has also started exploring possibility of other options like construction of elevated roads or underpasses. Department has requested WII to conduct fresh study for construction of elevated roads or underpasses along Pipalkoti–Pashulok Barrage in order to ease traffic movement with minimal environmental damage and without impacting wildlife movements.

Another reason for WII’s disapproval for the road widening project was inclusion of proposal to fell more than 3813 trees on the track. WII report stated that felling of more than 3800 trees in the area will lead to massive environmental loss.

PWD departmental head Rajesh Chandra Sharma confirmed the media that WII has been asked to explore the possibility of new options. PWD executive engineer Nirbhay Singh said that WII has now been requested to re-study and look into the feasibility of elevated road or an underpass. “If an elevated road or underpasses will reduce the distance by more than two kilometers and prevent tree felling while wildlife movements will too remain unaffected,” said Singh.