Citizens for Green Doon win in SC, Apex Court restricts Centre on constructing 7 metres roads in Char Dham project
The centre yesterday got a rebuff from the supreme court after SC Bench headed by justice R F Nariman directed the union ministry of Transport, Roads n Highways dealing with the highly ambitious construction project of Char Dham roads connecting the four historic religious Shrines, situated in Uttarakhand, to strictly go by its own official guidelines of 2018 thus constructing the 5.5 width two lane roads instead of 7 metres width as is being done currently against its own guidelines, defying the stipulated environmental norms as well.
The court catagorically said that the width of the roads of these 900 kilometres national highways would not be allowed to exceed 5.5 metres as per the official norms of the union government.
The supreme court has issued these directives while dealing with the petition filed by an environment friendly NGO, Citizens of Green Doon n Ors. According to its advocate the contentious issue of highway’s width has been satisfactorily resolved by the honourable Supreme Court.
There have been several objections n voices of concern by umpteen NGOs dealing with environmental n ecological issues including scribes about the alleged open violation of environmental rules n regulation while carrying out construction work on this highly ambitious project incurring an exorbitant expenditure of more than Rs 12000 crores, adversely affecting the ecology of Uttarakhand Himalayas n also amounting to receding glaciers through enhancement in global warming.
There are also reports of more than fifty thousands of fully grown up trees being allegedly cut during the implementation of projects with thousands of tons of rock pieces, rubbish, mud, muck, crushed stones n boulders etc allegedly blocking the smooth flow of the Ganges n it’s tributaries after they are thrown there.
According to the latest media reports the bench led By justice R F Nariman has ruled that the width of the Char Dham highway which is a 900 kilometre highly ambitious project promising to offer all weather connectivity to four prominent Hindu pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand including, reaching out to the border areas adjoining China border, shall not exceed beyond 5.5 metres as unambiguously specified by the ministry of road transport n highways in its own guidelines while constructing roads on mountaneous terrains.
While hearing the petition filed by Citizens for Doon and Ors, Justice Nariman after accepting the contention of chairman of the High Powered Commitee Ravi Chopra, formed by the apex Court, the previous year, that the current 7 metres broadening of the Highway roads in Char Dham Uttarakhand project will be highly disastrous for the fragile Himalayan ecology n against the environmental norms, directed solicitor general Tushar Mehta that the ministry’s guidelines should apply to the two lane highway, connecting Badrinath,Kedarnath,Gangotri n Yamnotri.
He further said : All you have to do is to go by your own 2019 guidelines. He questioned Mehta : How can you not go by your own guidelines?
Justice Nariman unambiguously rejected SG Tushar Mehta’s logic that the 3018 circular on road witdth was prospective in nature n not meant for projects already undergoing construction activity.
