E-Paper
In rush to meet deadlines, green violations overlooked in Chardham Highway project: SC
The Chardham highway project or the all-weather road aims to connect the four shrines of the state -- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri -- through a 900-kilometre-long road.
The high-powered committee, formed by the Supreme Court to address environmental concerns for the ambitious Chardham highway project, has observed that environmental and social safety violations in the project are less visible, with agencies in a rush to construct the road at a fast pace to meet deadline.
The Chardham highway project or the all-weather road aims to connect the four shrines of the state -- Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri -- through a 900-kilometre-long road.
Environmentalist Ravi Chopra is heading the 11-member committee formed in August this year to study the impact of the highway project on the entire Himalayan valley.
“Environmental and social violations in the Chardham project are less visible as agencies are constructing the roads in a speedy manner to meet the deadline of the project. As road construction for the project is being done according to the training and design of the agencies, environmental and social safety violations involved are less visible,” according to Chopra.
He said the forest department is responsible for environmental violations with regard to muck dumping, as dumping zones have been identified in consultation with them.
Akshay Kumar, the nodal officer appointed for the 11-member committee, said the on-ground inspection process has almost been completed for both Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the state. The committee conducted an inspection in Champawat and Pithoragarh districts over the weekend.
“Members of the committee are still examining and assessing some stretches of the road and after their evaluation a report of the observations will be compiled and submitted to the Supreme Court. The committee has covered the entire road stretch of the Chardham highway project in both Garhwal and Kumaon, but some more parts in Rudraprayag are left,” said Kumar.
In August this year, the Supreme Court ordered the formation of the high-powered committee to address environmental concerns. A bench comprising Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Surya Kant modified the National Green Tribunal’s September 26, 2018 order by constituting the committee.
The court was hearing a plea by Dehradun-based NGO Citizen for Green Doon against the NGT’s September 26 2018 order giving its conditional approval to the connectivity project in view of larger public interest.
The NGT, while clearing the Chardham project, had said: “We are of the view that all environmental concerns can be addressed by having a responsible and independent oversight mechanism which may monitor the environmental safeguards during the execution of the project.”
In March this year, work at five locations on the all-weather road between Chamba and Dharasu had been stopped after officials of the Tehri forest division sent a notice to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) as environmental norms were allegedly being flouted by construction companies.
Koko Rose, divisional forest officer of Tehri who sent the notice to officials at the BRO, had said that construction work was underway at the locations without safety structures being erected to stop muck from dropping into the Tehri Lake.
