Centre plans design changes in Char Dham road stretch

THe ministry of route ship and highways (MoRTH) is considering plan changes to the coal Dham route stretch in the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone after several environmental activists and veteran politicians Murli Manohar Joshi (of the BJP) and Karan Singh (of the Congress) raised an alarm about its ecological impact.HT reported on March 3 that Joshi and Singh have urged transport minister Nitin Gadkari and environment minister Bhupender Yadav to cancel forest clearances granted by the Uttarakhand government for the Netala bypass and Jhala–Jangla stretch in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive zone, warning that the projects pose a threat to the stability of the vulnerable hillside. The duohas been raising concerns about the impact of the widening of the Char Dham road since the Dharali flash floods last August.Senior officials from MoRTH said on condition of anonymity that they are considering certain design changes to accommodate the concerns of environmentalists in Uttarakhand but emphasized that the widening is critical because of the strategic nature of the stretch, which connects to the India-China border, which means the road needs to be wide enough to move defence equipment.Environmental activists have said a disaster prone road may be unsafe even from the perspective of the movement of troops and equipment.The MoRTH officials added that they met with Uttarakhand based NGOs and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in October and November last year and discussed that hill cutting will be reduced in the Uttarkashi Gangotri stretch and that construction will not start until the slope is stabilised. The Netala bypass o and the stretch from Hina to Tekhla in Uttarkashi will not be taken up now, they said and a fresh project report will be created for the former. HT reported that the construction of the bypass contravenes recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee on Char Dham roads. The panel, headed by Ravi Chopra that included geologist Navin Juyal, social issues expert Hemant Dhyani, and Wildlife Institute of India scientist S Sathya Kumar, had recommended dropping the bypass.The MoRTH officials also said the number of trees to be felled for the widening of the Jhala-Jangla stretch feeding Harshil will be reduced from 6,000 to 1500.HT reported last year that the Uttarakhand forest department has approved forest diversion for an 8.70-km stretch in the ecologically sensitive Bhagirathi zone; granted approval to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for constructing the 17.50-hectare stretch from Hina to Tekhla in Uttarkashi as part of the Char Dham route; and approved the widening of a 20.6-km stretch under the Char Dham project in the upper reaches of the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive zone.Environmental activists have questioned whether these forest clearances will be suspended now that MoRTH is considering a change in specifications and design. “We want to see what changes are being made to the road width specifications and how has the tree felling number reduced to 1500? There should be a basis for this which must be in writing.We have recommended that the black-top width must be 5.5 metres whereas the Government plans it to be 10 metres. We have also said the Netala bypass must be cancelled because it is illegal as it runs contrary to the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, which granted only a conditional approval to Char Dham works, strictly subject to adherence to the recommendations of the High-Powered Committee (HPC). Most importantly, has the Government cancelled the forest clearances granted to Netala and Jhala-Jangla stretch?” asked Hemant Dhyani, convenor, Ganga Ahvan and member of Supreme Court appointed High Powered committee (HPC) on the Char Dham Project. Environmentalists campaigning to ensure a safer and more ecologically sound road design is followed for the project in the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone said members of ‘Demand For Justice’ which includes Joshiare considering moving court if their demands are not addressed.HT reported on August 7 last year that the catastrophic flash floods and glacial debris flow on August 5 in Dharali highlighted the trade-offs involved in the construction of the final stretch of the Char Dham road. Residents are particularly concerned that conditions recommended by the Supreme Court appointed committee , referred to in SC’s order dated December 14, 2021 in respect of the stretch of around 100 km connecting Uttarkashi to Gangotri and passing through the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone, have been ignored. The SC order referred to the Ravi Chopra headed committee’s recommendations: that BRO must obtain all requisite clearances from the environment ministry; that road widening should be taken up only after detailed environment impact assessment and application of mitigation measures; that the felling of Deodar trees should be avoided; and that vulnerability evaluations and terrain assessments should be conducted.