The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the State Government to take a final decision within eight weeks on maintaining the original form of the Jageshwar shrine. The division bench gave the State Government one year to secure smaller temples and space around the main shrine. Further, no type of construction should be undertaken along the Artola-Jageshwar motor road in violation of the UP Roadside Land Control Act.
The Kotwali Patwari has been directed to ensure that sewerage from hotels and restaurants is not drained in the river for which the SDM, Tehsildar and Patwari will be responsible.
The Government has also been directed to frame bylaws for construction in a three kilometre area around Jageshwar. A complete prohibition should be enforced on axing of tress in this three kilometre area. The Almora District Magistrate has been made responsible for cleanliness of the river and maintaining the beauty of Jageshwar.
According to the case details, the residents of Jageshwar and nearby villages had written a letter to the High Court chief justice requesting that illegal construction and axing of Deodar trees be stopped along the Jageshwar-Artola road.
The acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma took cognisance of this appeal and the division bench comprising him and justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari took up the matter in the form of a public interest litigation. The petition was heard by the division bench of acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and justice Sharad Kumar Sharma on Thursday.