HC freezes hiked herb royalties

Dehradun: The high court has provisionally suspended augmented royalty tariffs mandated by the govt for the exploitation of herbs in the high Himalayan region and has directed the govt and chief conservator of forests in Uttarakhand to submit their response regarding the same.The action was taken after a single bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit deliberated a petition of Mahipal Singh, a resident of Bageshwar, which stated that the head of the forest department issued a directive on Feb 29 this year, escalating the royalty on herb extraction by 40%.The petitioner contended that when he procured a licence in Nov 2023, the royalty rate was Rs 106 per quintal. His licence remained valid until April-May this year. However, the royalty rate was increased prior to the licence period's conclusion. Mahipal Singh applied for the licence based on the prevailing royalty rates. Upon hearing the case, the single bench suspended the increased royalty rates. The subsequent hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan 2025.
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