New Delhi, Aug 8: The last 150 km-long stretch of Char Dham road, which will pass through the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone, will have to adhere to a minimum width of 10m, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.
Considering the strategic nature of the stretch, since it connects with the India-China border, the road needs to be wide enough to move defense equipment, the minister said. He added that the stretch is landslide-prone, and efforts are being made to compensate for tree loss for the Char Dham route.
Gadkari was responding to a question raised by Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan, who had asked if the last stretch, which is yet to be constructed in the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone, will have a width of 10 to 12m like the rest of the Char Dham route.
“This is about the Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone. This matter was in the Supreme Court. We had a meeting on this matter under the chairmanship of justice Sikri. We had discussions on this matter with MPs and ministers from Uttarakhand,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari added, “Now the problem is whether the width of the road should be 10m or less on the 150 km stretch. The issue is that this is a strategic point that is going up to the China border…The road should be wide enough to move defence equipment because of the China border, so 10m minimum is required.”
On compensating for loss of trees, Gadkari said that the government has already planted millions of trees against loss of trees, and 78,000 trees have been transplanted. “There will be no loss of trees. It is important to understand that this is at the China border. Machinery and trucks need to be able to move on it. This is a very sensitive matter. We will protect the environment, the national security, and provide ease for pilgrims.”
The Union environment ministry in 2022 approved the zonal master plan for the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone that stretches from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi, covering an area of 4179.59 sq km.
In the same year, at a review meeting on the Char Dham Road project chaired by Gadkari, the minister had called for a quick disposal of pending issues like land acquisition and environmental clearances.
Experts said the stretch in the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone is 100 km and not 150 km long.
“For defence needs, it is important to have disaster-resilient roads. It is shocking that the government calls this kind of excessively wide road strategic when similarly strategic roads are preventing strategic movements in other stretches of the Char Dham. The only strategy should be to prevent disasters on border connecting roads, not to make them disaster-prone instead,” said Mallika Bhanot, environmentalist and member, Ganga Ahvaan.
