Taking a strict view of the felling of nearly 4,400 trees for the Rishikesh–Bhaniyawala four-lane road, the Uttarakhand High Court on Friday directed the state government, the Centre and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to hold a meeting and place their suggestions before the court.

During the hearing, the petitioner informed the court that, despite earlier directions, neither had the trees been transplanted nor were underpasses being constructed in accordance with prescribed rules.

After hearing the matter, a division bench comprising Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay directed the state and central governments, along with the NHAI, to convene a meeting to resolve the issues and submit their recommendations to the court.

The court has fixed December 30 as the next date of hearing.

Dehradun resident Reenu Pal filed a PIL before the High Court, stating that more than 3,000 trees have been identified for felling for the widening of the road between Rishikesh and Bhaniyawala, which falls within the elephant corridor.

Due to this, the elephant corridor and other wild animals may be adversely affected, and their daily movement and routine could be disturbed, she said.

Earlier, following the intervention of the High Court, the Shivalik Elephant Reserve had been protected.