The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) told a committee of the Uttarakhand Forest Department and the Ministry of Environment that Chardham Road Project As per official records, the Gangotri-Dharas route project does not require either an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study or Environmental Clearance (EC). The opinion submitted by the BRO last week goes against the recommendations of a high-powered committee appointed by the Supreme Court.
The Gangotri-Dharas route falls within the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ). In its report submitted to the Supreme Court in July 2020, a high-powered committee had said that in BESZ, “road widening should be undertaken only after carrying out detailed environmental impact assessment and mitigation measures.”
The BRO is currently seeking clearance for 17.5 hectares of forest land for the Netala bypass project on the Gangotri-Dharas section, which was earlier rejected by a high-level committee.
According to sources, in connection with the proposed forest diversion, the Uttarakhand forest department had asked whether an environmental impact assessment was required for the bypass of the BESZ. To this, the BRO, in its letter dated August 19, asserted that no impact study or environmental impact assessment was required as expedited environmental impact assessment had already been carried out across the Chardham Pariyojana.
Records show the letter was sent to the Ministry of Environment's Regional Empowerment Committee as a supporting document to the forest conversion application.
“It is suggested that EC may not be necessary for the above objectives and therefore, the need for EC raised in the meeting held under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Finance Ministry, Uttarakhand may be reviewed,” the BRO said in its August 19 letter, referring to a meeting with the state forest department.
The BRO justified its stand on the grounds that an expedited EIA was conducted for the entire 53-section Char Dham project as per the recommendations of a Supreme Court-appointed high-level committee. The committee said the expedited EIA was conducted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and submitted to the Ministry of Environment, the Uttarakhand government and the high-level committee in 2020.
Asked about the high-level committee's recommendations, BRO Commandant Vivek Srivastava told The Indian Express that the organisation's stand has been conveyed in a letter and he did not wish to comment further.
An environment ministry official said they would look into the issue of whether the project required an Environmental Impact Assessment (EC) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Uttarakhand forest department officials declined to comment on the issue.
Retired judge AK Sikri, who heads both the Supreme Court's high-level committee and the monitoring committee tasked with implementing court-ordered environmental protection measures, said the committees are yet to receive any proposals for the widening of roads in the BESZ, adding that they would seek information on the issue.
The BESZ is an area of ​​4,157 sq km between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi towns. It was designated in 2012 to protect the ecosystem, environmental flows and catchment areas of the Ganges near its source. The BRO had proposed the Netala bypass project between Hina and Thekla on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri section of NH 34 on the grounds that there are active landslide areas on the existing highway.
The Indian Express reported on July 29 that the BRO was going ahead with the bypass despite a Supreme Court-appointed high-power committee recommending it be halted citing geological flaws and opposition from local residents and elected representatives.
In June, independent members of the BESZ Monitoring Committee, which monitors the implementation of the regional master plan, had challenged the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary over the proposed road widening under the Char Dham project in a sensitive area. They pointed out that it was essential for the BRO to carry out an environmental impact assessment, as mandated by the 2012 BESZ notification.
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