Summary:
NAINITAL: Amending its earlier directive banning overnight stay for all trekkers in meadows across the state, Uttarakhand high court (HC) on Friday relaxed its restriction a bit by allowing Army personnel permission to camp overnight in meadows. Army personnel are not like normal tourists and I hope the Army will continue to maintain the sanctity of 'God's abode'.” The ban was good as the grasslands had become sites for rampant construction and littering. The court, in view of the news item, ordered the modification so that Army expeditions are not affected adversely.”Commenting on the modification of the order, Sumit Sah, a nature lover who regularly visits bugyals, said, “The order has been modified in the right spirit. The division bench of acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lok Pal Singh stipulated in the single-page order that Army personnel can “stay overnight at bugyals (meadows) in temporary accommodation by maintaining absolute hygiene and cleanliness during their regular exercises/expeditions.”The court had last month banned overnight stay in alpine meadows citing it to be a threat to the fragile ecosystem of the area and ordered removal of fibre huts constructed in various meadows to be removed within three months..