Centre's Char Dham highway project under NGT scanner

The Uttarakhand government admitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday that debris was illegally dumped in Bhairon Ghati, en route to Gangotri, during the ongoing work on the Centre's Char Dham highway widening project. A pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it involves widening existing highways to provide all-weather connectivity between Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.

In a related matter of dumping debris on the fragile hill slopes, the NGT served notices to the Centre, the Uttarakhand government and Border Road Organisation (BRO) and sought their response on debris disposal. A two-member bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar, heard the matter.

Appearing on behalf of the state government, Additional Advocate General, Rahul Verma, submitted to the green court that debris have been dumped. "Debris has been dumped illegally and we will initiate action and penalize them (BRO)," Verma said. He added that the debris has been dumped on a nine-kilometre stretch by the BRO, which is the project proponent. The BRO was served a notice in this regard in April.

Verma's submissions came after the counsel for petitioner Aagney Sail produced photographs before the bench of debris being pushed on to the hill slopes in the eco-sensitive area of Gangotri National Park. After Sail produced the photographs, Verma requested the bench to hear the matter along with another matter, on the implementation of the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone notification, as both are related.

The NGT accepted the request and sought an affidavit from the Uttarakhand government on the issue of debris dumping in Bhairon Ghati.

The bench was was hearing the plea of Uttarakhand local Birendra Singh Matura and others, who have alleged that work on the ambitious road-widening project is violating the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone notification. Among other things, the petition has raised alarm about the impact tree felling and mountain blasting would have on the Bhagirathi valley and River Ganga. The project involves widening the existing highways from 12m to 24m and felling of thousands of trees in the fragile river valleys of Uttarakhand.

The other petition, on which the NGT has served notice today, pertains specifically to time-bound removal of boulders and debris from the 9km stretch in Bhairon Ghati on the Uttar Kashi to Gangotri route. On the issue of debris and boulder dumping, the NGT has sought responses from Environment Ministry, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, Uttarakhand government and BRO.

The Char Dham highway widening project is pegged at Rs 12,000 crore and PM Modi laid the project's foundation stone on December 27, 2016.