Mumbai, Sept. 15 -- The construction of a bypass around Chatra town on NH-22 has been halted after the Jharkhand High Court issued a stay order on September 4, 2026, leaving the project in limbo.
The National Highway Division of the Road Construction Department had planned a four-lane road with a divided carriageway and a formation width of 27 metres to ease traffic congestion.
The proposal comprised two carriageways of seven metres each, two paved shoulders of two point five metres each and a five metre earthen shoulder.
The high court stayed the felling of 13,681 trees that were identified for removal for the bypass.
The order followed a writ petition by Suresh Sao, who said 300 trees on his land would be cut for the alignment.
The bench sought further details from state and central authorities on environmental impacts and project justification.
The court expressed concern about large-scale tree felling and described such clearances as developmental disasters, preferring protection of mature trees where feasible.
As an interim measure none of the identified trees may be felled until further orders.
The judge invited authorities to consider whether users might travel a few extra miles rather than permit indiscriminate clearance.
Agencies have been allowed to review the current alignment and to explore alternative routes that would minimise ecological damage.
Both the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways were given liberty to reassess the proposals and offer guidance on re-alignment.
Officials may revisit designs and submit revised plans for the court's consideration.
Until those reviews are completed and the court provides further direction the bypass scheme will remain on hold, prolonging congestion for commuters in the Chatra area.
The pause will permit a fuller assessment of environmental trade-offs and alignment options without any immediate tree felling.
The future of the project will depend on technical reviews and subsequent orders from the high court.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.