HC halts safari vehicle registration at Corbett reserve for current fiscal

The Uttarakhand high court has ordered a halt to the vehicle registration process for jungle safaris in the Corbett Tiger Reserve following a petition from safari vehicle drivers. The drivers claim that the forest department is colluding with the existing drivers to prevent new entrants from participating in the registration process. They also allege a violation of previous court orders mandating that advertisements for the vehicle contract be published in two newspapers. The court has ordered the chief conservator of forests and the CTR director to file an affidavit by October 30.