Environmentalists yesterday called on the Administrative Court to suspend all surface expansion work along Thanarat Road in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
The treelined road leads to Khao Yai National Park, a World Heritage site.
Representing 120 people, AntiGlobal Warming Association president Srisuwan Janya yesterday lodged a complaint with the Administrative Court against the Highways Department and the Transport Ministry.
"The expansion work should be suspended at least until the defendants can proceed fully in line with the environmental conditions in the Constitution," he said.
In his petition, he also asked the court to order the defendants to rehabilitate the environment along a portion of the road already affected by the work.
"The defendants should be required to pay for the rehabilitation," Srisuwan said.
He said they should listen to the opinions of those planning the rehabilitation.
Srisuwan sought help from the Administrative Court because he was not happy with a Cabinet order scrapping expansion of Thanarat Road only between kilometre markers 10 and 16.
"What about the portion between markers 2 and 10 then?" he asked.
Khao Yai World Heritage Conservation Network coordinator Supaphon Iammethakul, who accompanied Srisuwan, said his group would also ask the National Human Rights Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the matter.
"The expansion work of Thanarat Road infringes on the rights of communities, which are in danger of seeing their way of life and environment change if the work is completed," Supaphon said.