Dehradun: Several environmental and social organisations in Dehradun on Wednesday demanded the immediate cancellation of the forest clearance granted for the felling of thousands of trees within the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone.
A joint delegation comprising representatives from activist groups like Citizens for Green Doon, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch and Making a Difference met senior officials from the regional office of the environment ministry and the state forest department to submit a detailed memorandum against the ‘in-principle’ approval granted to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on November 12.
The activists pointed out that the project, which involves the diversion of 42 hectares of reserve forest near the Gangotri Glacier, entails the felling of 6,675 trees, including 4,070 ecologically invaluable deodars.
They alleged that the move is a violation of a 2020 Supreme Court undertaking where the road width was supposedly restricted to 5.5 metres, whereas the current plan proceeds with a 10-metre design that threatens irreversible damage to the sensitive landscape.
"The BRO had previously proposed a road width of 5.5 metres, but they are now proceeding with a 10-metre design. This directly contradicts the submissions made before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2020," the memorandum said, adding that such large-scale diversion would cause "irreversible and irreparable damage" to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem in the immediate vicinity of the Gangotri Glacier.
{{/usCountry}}"The BRO had previously proposed a road width of 5.5 metres, but they are now proceeding with a 10-metre design. This directly contradicts the submissions made before the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2020," the memorandum said, adding that such large-scale diversion would cause "irreversible and irreparable damage" to the fragile Himalayan ecosystem in the immediate vicinity of the Gangotri Glacier.
{{/usCountry}}Under the recently revived ‘Raksha Sutra’ campaign, local communities in Harsil are tying threads as a symbol of protection around trees marked for felling.