The Forest Department has raised objections over the land earmarked for the proposed Kainchi Dham bypass between Kathgodam and Kainchi Dham, calling it unsuitable. The department has returned the file submitted by the administration. In response, the district administration has decided to identify a portion of land previously reserved for the High Court and send a revised proposal to the Forest Department.
Originally proposed in 2019 to ease traffic congestion on the Bhimtal and Nainital routes, the bypass project was revived in 2023. A 3.5 km stretch of land between Kathgodam, Gulabghati, and Amritpur was identified, including a proposed bridge over the Gaula river. The bypass was planned on forest land, for which the administration had provided 6.54 hectares in Nainital Forest Division for compensatory afforestation.
However, Chief Wildlife Warden and Forest Land Transfer Nodal Officer Ranjan Mishra recently flagged the proposed afforestation land as partially unsuitable, stating that about half of it had already undergone plantation activities. The department has requested an alternate location.
A joint inspection will now be conducted by teams from the Forest Department, PWD, and Revenue Department. Based on their joint report, the administration will send a revised proposal to the Forest Department.
District Magistrate Vandana confirmed that new land has been identified from the area originally marked for the High Court and the proposal will be sent soon.
