The Kerala High Court has directed that widening work on the Neriamangalam–Valara stretch of National Highway 85 resume only after revenue and forest officials demarcate the land and identify the trees likely to be affected by the project.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar issued the direction while considering an interlocutory application filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which had sought permission to restart the road-widening work after the Kerala government allowed the project to proceed.
The order relates to a public interest litigation filed by M N Jayachandran of Thodupuzha. The petition challenges construction activity on the stretch on the grounds that the work was being carried out without prior clearance from the central government under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act. The petitioner has argued that the land involved is forest land.
The court had earlier directed the chief secretary to establish whether the land required for widening formed part of a reserved forest, after verifying official records. That direction was issued in October 2025. The court had said that NHAI could proceed if the land was found not to be reserved forest.
The earlier order also required a joint team from the revenue and forest departments to urgently demarcate the area and identify trees that could be affected before construction began. The chief secretary was additionally directed to issue suitable instructions on landslide safety, ecological protection and other environmental concerns connected with the work.
After reviewing documents and recommendations from a high-level committee, the chief secretary issued an order on July 7, 2026, allowing the widening project to continue. Jayachandran subsequently sought permission to amend the pleadings in the PIL so that he could challenge the chief secretary’s order. The court allowed that application.
While considering NHAI’s request to resume construction, the bench observed that the joint inspection by revenue and forest officials did not appear to have been completed. It therefore made completion of the demarcation and tree-identification exercise a condition for restarting the road work.
The case has been posted for October 14. Until then, the NHAI’s request to resume widening remains subject to the court’s requirement that the joint inspection be completed to its satisfaction.