New Delhi: The Char Dham mission is a mega infrastructure mission that goals to attach 4 Hindu pilgrimage websites within the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. The mission, which was launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, entails widening and upgrading about 900 km of roads, constructing dozens of bridges and tunnels, and chopping via fragile mountain slopes. The mission is estimated to price Rs 12,000 crore and is anticipated to be accomplished by 2024.
The authorities claims that the mission will increase tourism, enhance border safety, and supply all-weather connectivity to the pilgrims who go to the holy websites yearly. However, the mission has additionally confronted extreme criticism from environmentalists, activists, and specialists who warn that the mission can have disastrous penalties for the ecology and the folks of the area.
The Char Dham mission is been blamed for the Silkyara tunnel collapse close to Barkot, which trapped 41 staff underneath the particles for seventeen days. The tunnel, a part of the Char Dham street mission in Uttarakhand, was buried underneath tons of particles and dirt, with no signal of life from the employee. The mission has additionally been linked to elevated threat of flash floods and glacial lake outbursts. The mission has additionally been challenged within the Supreme Court for violating the environmental norms and the suggestions of varied committees and specialists.
The Ecological Impact Of Char Dham Project
The Himalayas are one of the biodiverse and geologically delicate areas on the planet. They are dwelling to 1000’s of species of natural world, a lot of that are endemic and endangered. They additionally present important ecosystem companies reminiscent of water, soil, and local weather regulation to thousands and thousands of individuals downstream. The Himalayas are additionally susceptible to pure hazards reminiscent of earthquakes, landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, that are exacerbated by human actions reminiscent of deforestation, mining, and development.
The Char Dham mission poses a critical menace to the Himalayan ecology and the individuals who rely upon it. According to a report by the Wildlife Institute of India, the mission will have an effect on 31,029 timber, 33 wildlife corridors, and 216 water our bodies. The mission may even fragment the habitats of a number of endangered species such because the snow leopard, the Himalayan brown bear, the musk deer, and the pink panda. The mission may even improve the danger of landslides, soil erosion, and sedimentation, which can have an effect on the water high quality and amount of the rivers that originate from the glaciers within the area.
The mission has additionally been challenged within the Supreme Court for violating the environmental norms and the suggestions of varied committees and specialists. In 2018, a petition was filed by an NGO referred to as Citizens for Green Doon, alleging that the mission didn’t have the required environmental clearance, forest clearance, and wildlife clearance. The petition additionally claimed that the mission didn’t observe the rules of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which prescribed a most width of 5.5 meters for the roads within the hilly areas.
The Supreme Court appointed a High-Powered Committee (HPC) to look at the affect of the mission and recommend measures to mitigate the opposed results. The HPC, which consisted of 26 members from varied fields, submitted its report in September 2020. The report acknowledged that the mission was “ill-conceived” and “unscientific” and beneficial that the street width must be restricted to five.5 meters, besides at some strategic places.
The report additionally advised that the mission ought to keep away from chopping via the wildlife corridors, the landslide-prone areas, and the river banks. The report additionally warned that the mission might set off a catastrophe just like the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy, which killed 1000’s of individuals and precipitated widespread injury.
However, the federal government rejected the HPC report and filed an affidavit within the Supreme Court, searching for permission to widen the roads to 10 meters. The authorities argued that the narrower roads would compromise the security and safety of the pilgrims and the military personnel. The authorities additionally claimed that the mission had adopted all of the authorized and environmental procedures and had taken ample steps to reduce the ecological affect.
On 14 December 2021, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the case, permitting the federal government to widen the roads to 10 meters in three stretches: Rishikesh to Mana, Rishikesh to Gangotri, and Tanakpur to Pithoragarh. The courtroom additionally directed the federal government to observe the HPC suggestions within the remaining stretches and to make sure that the mission doesn’t trigger any irreversible injury to the surroundings. The courtroom additionally ordered the federal government to represent an oversight committee to observe the implementation of the mission and to submit periodic stories to the courtroom.
Reactions To The Supreme Court Judgment
The Supreme Court judgment has evoked blended reactions from totally different stakeholders. The authorities had welcomed the judgment and expressed its dedication to finish the mission as quickly as potential. The authorities has additionally assured that the mission won’t hurt the surroundings and can profit the folks of the area.
However, the environmentalists and the activists have expressed their disappointment and dismay over the judgment. They have argued that the judgment has ignored the scientific proof and the knowledgeable opinions and has given a inexperienced sign to the destruction of the Himalayas. They have additionally questioned the rationale and the feasibility of the mission and have warned that the mission can have irreversible and catastrophic penalties for the ecology and the folks of the area.
The mission additionally raises some basic questions concerning the imaginative and prescient and the values that information the event of the Himalayas. What sort of growth do we wish for the Himalayas? Who decides the event priorities and the trade-offs? How can we stability the wants and the aspirations of the current and the long run generations? How can we respect and shield the variety and the dignity of the Himalayan ecology and the folks?
