Dehradun, Aug. 8 -- State Cabinet on Friday approved the transfer of 38 hectares from a 73-hectare forest land parcel at Lamachaur in Haldwani for the proposed Uttarakhand High Court complex, in line with a recent Supreme Court directive to expedite the project, officials said. Last month, the Supreme Court directed the state government to transfer the identified land within six weeks while hearing a petition filed by the High Court Bar Association. The petition challenged a May 8, 2024 order of the Uttarakhand High Court directing a referendum among lawyers on shifting the court from its present Mallital campus to Haldwani. The High Court currently functions from a heritage building constructed in 1900 that cannot be renovated. The number of pending cases has risen sharply from 356 when the state was created in 2000 to 61,859 as of July 2, 2026. Last year, the High Court also sought an increase in the sanctioned strength of judges from 11 to 21. Under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, the principal seat of the Uttarakhand High Court can only be notified by the President of India, while the Chief Justice, with the Governor's approval, can decide where judges may sit within the state. The state Cabinet had, in May 2023, approved shifting the high court to 26.08 hectares of forest land at Gaulapar in Haldwani. However, the proposal was stalled after the high court passed an order in May 2024. Among other key decisions, the Cabinet under the chairmanship of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami approved signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government for extending the Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Haridwar. According to officials, the project will improve connectivity, boost religious tourism and facilitate trade between the two states. The Cabinet also approved restructuring the High Powered Committee (HPC) for promotion of eco-tourism by including senior forest department officials and the managing director of the Eco-Tourism Development Corporation. The cabinet also expanded the Animal Husbandry Department's cattle rearing scheme to include general category livestock farmers. Earlier, the scheme was available only to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Beneficiaries will now also be allowed to purchase buffaloes in addition to cows. The Cabinet also approved the Uttarakhand Wage Code Rules, 2026 under the Code on Wages, 2019. It also cleared the Uttarakhand Industrial Relations Rules, 2026 under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, laying down provisions for time-bound settlement of industrial disputes, trade union recognition, grievance redressal committees and a labour re-skilling fund for retrenched workers. The Cabinet approved promulgation of the Uttarakhand Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 to align the state's GST law with recent amendments made to the Central GST Act....