WII halts Uttarakhand road widening over tiger reserve concerns

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has stopped a plan by the Uttarakhand government to widen a 22-kilometer road in Chamoli district.

The road passes through the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, which is home to tigers and other wildlife.

WII said widening the road would harm the environment and the animals.

The government wanted to widen the road to handle more traffic, but WII said no because it would mean cutting down over 3800 trees and disturbing the wildlife.

Now, the government is looking at other options like building elevated roads or underpasses to make the road better without hurting the environment or the animals.