Centre informs Supreme Court that Char Dham all-weather road project is 75% complete

Nearly 75% of the 900-kilometer Char Dham all-weather highway project, aimed at improving road connectivity to the four holy shrines in Uttarakhand, has been completed, the Centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday. This project, a key initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not only improves access to the Char Dham sites—Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath—but also serves a strategic purpose by enhancing troop movement along the China border in Uttarakhand.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, updated a bench of Justices C T Ravikumar and Ujjal Bhuyan about two progress reports submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee, led by retired Justice A K Sikri, in April and August of this year. The committee monitors the project's progress, ensuring environmental concerns are addressed.

The Supreme Court had set up the oversight committee in 2019 to assess the project's potential environmental impact. The initial chair, environmentalist Ravi Chopra, resigned in 2022, citing that the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways was disregarding the committee's recommendations. Justice Sikri replaced him as chairperson.

Chopra, reacting to the Centre's update, expressed concern about the project's environmental impact, particularly in the fragile Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone. He accused the government of bypassing environmental impact assessments (EIA) by dividing the project into smaller segments under 100 kilometers, which excluded it from major project assessments. "The project, after nearly eight years, is incomplete, with many sections turning into chronic landslide zones, causing deaths and damage to property," he told The Times of India.

Uttarkashi-based environmentalist Suresh Bhai also voiced concern over deforestation in the remaining 100-kilometer stretch between Uttarkashi and Gangotri, where 40 kilometers are covered by rich biodiversity, including rare deodar trees. He proposed an alternate route to minimize environmental damage, suggesting a road through less forested and rockier terrain to preserve the region’s unique flora.

ET