Char Dham road to uproot 40,000 trees

PITHORAGARH: Close to 40,000 trees are likely be cut to pave the way for an ambitious project that aims to link four Hindu shrines in Uttarakhand through an allweather road, officials said.

The ₹12,000-crore road project, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, will connect the Char Dhams — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.

Hindustan Times had reported in July that more than 33,000 trees will be chopped in the Garhwal region alone to execute the project.

A senior government official revealed that an additional 7,000 trees will be axed in the Kumaon region to widen the TanakpurPithoragarh stretch of National Highway 9 as part of the project.

“About 7,000 trees will be uprooted in Kumaon for the road project on 100 hectares, including 11 hectares of civil land,” said LD Mathela, executive engineer of NH 125 Lohaghat division, who is in charge of road construction.

Mathela said the road, after its widening, would bear the load of defence vehicles carrying armaments and equipment to IndiaChina border posts, about 200km from the Pithoragarh town.

Unlike the Garhwal region, no overbridges and tunnels will be constructed in Kumaon.

“Besides the non-rocky hills on the entire portion of the road between Tanakpur and Pithoragarh, the cost factor has not permitted us to construct tunnels; the 150-km portion of the road will be without overbridges and tunnels,” Mathela said.

“We have assigned the project to four companies after examining their experience in construction of all-weather roads.”

The 12-metre-wide road will be constructed by 2019, said sources at NH 125 office in Champawat district.

“According to the design submitted by the construction companies, sliding portions of the road will be protected to make it weather resistant,” he added.