Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a massive victory for environmentalists, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) delivered a crushing verdict on the evening of October 31, 2025, legally securing the future of the Shankargarh Nagar Van, mere hours after the Free Press celebrated the park’s transformation in its morning edition.
The NGT's Central Zone Bench, disposing of Original Application No. 37/2025(CZ), ruled in favour of the applicant, Samarjeet Jadhav, and issued strict, mandatory directions to protect the green belt from commercial development.
Judgment and effects
The NGT's final order ensures that the State Government's prior administrative decision to transfer a large parcel of the forest for tourism is legally quashed and permanently prohibited. The essential points of the judgment are:
* Maintain Forest Status: The NGT directed the state of Madhya Pradesh to maintain the status of forest on the disputed 50.292 Hectares of land, preventing its classification for non-forest use.
*Effect: This is the central directive that legally protects the area, which was once a quarry and then restored, from being commercialised as a tourism site.
* Prohibit Non-Forest Activity: The Tribunal mandated that non-forest activity should not be permitted at Sankargarh Nagar Van.
* Effect: This halts the proposed commercial tourism project, reinforcing the State Counsel's submission that the Government had taken a "conscious decision to abandon the proposed project."
* Protection of Biodiversity: The Forest Department is directed to maintain the existing vegetation along with its biodiversity, which includes fauna also.
* Effect: It secures the area's essential function as the "green lungs" for Dewas and preserves the ecological health of the park.
* Funded Plantation: The State Government must provide necessary funds to the Forest Department to carry out plantation of long-lasting multipurpose tree species of local origin in existing gaps.
* Effect: This ensures the park's continued expansion and maintenance is a funded, official responsibility of the state, backing the efforts of the Green Army Team.
* No Tree Cutting: Respondents must ensure that no trees should be damaged or cut without due permission from the competent authority.
* Effect: This provides immediate, strict protection against any unauthorized deforestation within the area.
Petitioner’s victory
The contentious issue centered on the District Administration's decision to allot the restored land to the State Tourism Department for alleged non-forest, commercial purposes. The final judgment fully supports the core demands made by the petitioner, Samarjeet Jadhav, who argued the transfer posed a "threat to the very existence of Shankargarh Nagar Van":
"To direct the Respondent State of Madhya Pradesh and District Administration, Dewas to discard any project or plan of initiating non-forest activity at Shankargarh Nagar Van and Biodiversity Park... and to direct State Forest department to enhance forestry activities under CAMPA in Shankergarh Hills, which is restored after extensive mining activities."
The NGT's ruling not only saves the park from commercialisation but reinforces the legal commitment to conservation in the spirit of the T. N. Godavarman case, guaranteeing the citizen-led greening of Shankargarh Hills is protected for generations.
