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UP govt moves SC, seeks green light for Kukrail night safari
The project got stuck due to the apex court’s February 19, 2024 order restraining the central and state govts to establish zoos and safaris in forest areas (other than protected areas) without approval of the top court
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LUCKNOW Seeking to remove roadblocks in the ambitious Kukrail night safari project, the UP government has filed an impleadment application in the Supreme Court on April 8, seeking permission to establish the safari and relocate the Lucknow zoo to the Kukrail forest area. The plea is yet to come up for hearing.
A detailed project report (DPR) of the night safari, coming up on a 900-acre maple leaf design in the 2027.46-hectare Kukrail forest, was presented before chief minister Yogi Adityanath on November 19, 2024, roughly two years after its digital survey in December 2022.
However, the project got stuck due to the apex court’s February 19, 2024 order restraining the central and state governments across the country to establish zoos and safaris in forest areas (other than protected areas) without approval of the top court. This order was passed by a three-judge bench headed by former CJI Justice Dhananjay Y Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra.
The UP government’s mega Kukrail night safari project and the proposal to shift Lucknow zoo from the heart of the city to Kukrail forest will only move ahead after clearance from the apex court.
In a similar case against the Kukrail night safari project in the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, the state government on April 21 had apprised the tribunal about its decision to move the Supreme Court, seeking clearance for the project. Lucknow-based social activist Alok Singh filed this case in the NGT.
He raised concerns over the night safari project at the Kukrail reserve forest, for which around 1500 trees were proposed to be felled. He also moved the SC on April 11, 2025, on this issue.
In the applications filed in SC and NGT, Singh stated that the night safari will adversely affect the reserve forest and cause irreversible damage to its natural ecosystem, resulting in felling of thousands of dense trees, impacting climate change.
The state government sought four weeks’ time from the tribunal to file an affidavit detailing steps taken by it to get clearance from the top court for the project. A letter issued by secretary, state government, Sushant Sharma on February 24, mentioned that the night safari project and zoo shifting cannot take place without the Supreme Court’s approval.
When launched, it will be the world’s fifth night safari. The project has got in-principle approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) that is reviewing the DPR.
A facility with 20 tents will also be developed for people to enjoy family gatherings. The project, also called nocturnal zoo, will come up beside the day zoo in Kukrail and the Central Zoo Authority has approved the same.
