Chardham road project for national security, NGT told

NEWDELHI: The all-weather Chardham road in Uttarakhand involves “national interest and the security of the entire country” and needs to be expedited, the Union road transport ministry told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation for the ₹11,700 crore all-weather Chardham road project before the Uttarakhand assembly election in 2017, promising its completion in four years.

The ministry was arguing against a petition that the 1,706 km-long project was being developed in violation of environmental norms. The petitioner, Citizens for Green Doon, said that the project was in violation as it bypassed the need for the Central government’s approval after an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The approval was needed as over 33,000 trees were being cut. The project was broken into 135 small segments to bypass EIA norms, the petitioner said.

Under the EIA 2006 notification, construction of new highways or expansion of existing roads less than 100 km-long, that does not involve major land acquisition (40 metres on existing alignment), can be carried out without the EIA and the Centre’s approval, according to an affidavit filed by the environment ministry.

The ministry of environment, forest and climate change also confirmed to the NGT that it had not received any proposal seeking a clearance for the Chardham yatra project. The road transport ministry has divided the project into 135 segments that includes 16 bypasses, 15 major bridges and two tunnels.

Arguing for the road ministry, additional solicitor general said most of the work related to the project was “essentially widening of the existing single lane roads into double lanes”, reconstruction of “a geometric gradient” of the existing two-lane roads.