NGT DELIVERS GREEN VERDICT: SHANKARGARH FOREST SAVED FROM TOURISM GRAB! In a massive victory for environmentalists, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) delivered a crushing verdict on the evening of October 31, 2025, legally securing the future of the Shankargarh Nagar Van, mere hours after the Tina Khatri's news in Free Press celebrated the park’s transformation in its morning edition. The NGT's Central Zone Bench, disposing of Original Application No. 37/2025(CZ), ruled in favor of the applicant, Samarjeet Jadhav, and issued strict, mandatory directions to protect the green belt from commercial development. Judgment and effects The NGT's final order ensures that the State Government's prior administrative decision to transfer a large parcel of the forest for tourism is legally quashed and permanently prohibited. The essential points of the judgment are: * Maintain Forest Status: The NGT directed the State of Madhya Pradesh to maintain the status of forest on the disp...