Char Dham project has raised Uttarakhand’s vulnerability: Former HPC chairman
2 years, 10 months ago

Char Dham project has raised Uttarakhand’s vulnerability: Former HPC chairman

Hindustan Times  

Ravi Chopra, chairman of an expert panel set up by the Supreme Court to oversee the widening of roads under the Char Dham Pariyojana in Uttarakhand, has resigned. Edited excerpts: Char Dham project has raised Uttarakhand’s vulnerability: Former HPC chairman Did MoRTH implement any of your recommendations as chairman of the high powered committee on the char dham road project? When the vote was taken in June 2020, several members changed their earlier view and 13 members voted for DL+PS road width while five voted for the shorter intermediate width, which had been recommended in March 2018 by MoRTH itself, a fact never revealed earlier to the HPC or the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Why do you think the road ministry went against its 2018 guidelines on keeping mountain highways narrow, when it came to the road width of the Char Dham project? The ministry probably began preparing the project design right away to take a large number of tourists to Char Dham everyday and the DL+PS width was needed to transport over 9,000 vehicles everyday.

Uttarakhand Chopra Committee Road Ministry 2020 Think View Himalayas Char Dham Char Width Hpc Char Dham Project Dham Project Vulnerable Sites  ministry  raised  dham  project  dlps  view  width  vulnerability  road  think  uttarakhands  chairman  committee  char  hpc  2020

History of this topic

Final stretch of Char Dham near China border to be 10m wide: Gadkari
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Final stretch of Char Dham near China border to be 10m wide: Gadkari

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi: The last 150 km-long stretch of Char Dham road, which will pass through the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone, will have to adhere to a minimum width of 10m, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Union road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari Considering the strategic nature of the stretch, since it connects with the India-China border, the road …

Parliamentary proceedings | Char Dham project did not need environment assessment: Centre to Parliament
1 year ago

Parliamentary proceedings | Char Dham project did not need environment assessment: Centre to Parliament

The Hindu  

The Char Dham project in Uttarakhand, under which Silkyara tunnel, is being developed did not require an Environment Impact Assessment, the Union government told Parliament on December 6. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change through its notification dated August 22, 2013, requires expansion of National Highways greater than 100 km involving additional right of way or land acquisition …

Disaster-prone areas on Char Dham route to be surveyed: Govt
1 year, 4 months ago

Disaster-prone areas on Char Dham route to be surveyed: Govt

Hindustan Times  

The Uttarakhand government plans to conduct a multi-disciplinary survey of disaster-prone areas on the Char Dham route to avoid Gaurikund-like incidents, a senior official said. “A multidisciplinary survey, involving dimensions such as geology, road safety, and risk assessment, will be carried out with regard to disaster vulnerability on the Char Dham route. A senior official of the disaster management department …

Cracks in Houses in Chamba Not Attributed to Char Dham Project: MoRTH
1 year, 5 months ago

Cracks in Houses in Chamba Not Attributed to Char Dham Project: MoRTH

News 18  

Acknowledging that complaints were received regarding the development of cracks in houses at the Chamba tunnel site on NH-34, the ministry of road transport and highways on Thursday said that a committee constituted by the Uttarakhand government did not attribute the damage to the tunnel construction. Responding to a query of Ritesh Pandey, Lok Sabha MP from Ambedkar Nagar, union …

Unchecked pilgrimage, construction in Uttarakhand spell disaster for fragile Himalayas, warn experts
1 year, 7 months ago

Unchecked pilgrimage, construction in Uttarakhand spell disaster for fragile Himalayas, warn experts

The Hindu  

Crumbling mountainsides, sinking towns and untrammelled construction. “The increasing influx of thousands of pilgrims per day to Badrinath and other pilgrimage sites, along with a surge in the number of vehicles and heedless construction projects in the vicinity, is posing a significant threat to the ecological and biological diversity of the region,” Mr. Sati told PTI. “Many higher altitude areas …

Big improvement in India's disaster preparedness, response: Report
1 year, 10 months ago

Big improvement in India's disaster preparedness, response: Report

Hindustan Times  

While India's disaster preparedness and response has improved, the fragility of the Himalayas and the increase in population and infrastructure are at the root of crises like the Joshimath incident, senior officials at the International Union for Conservation of Nature said. The increase in human population and infrastructure to cater to tourists and the fragility of the Himalayas are at …

INTERVIEW | Ravi Chopra: ‘It is madness’
1 year, 10 months ago

INTERVIEW | Ravi Chopra: ‘It is madness’

The Hindu  

Published : Jan 26, 2023 10:45 IST For nearly four decades, Ravi Chopra, research scientist, author, and former director of the People’s Science Institute in Dehradun, has led projects dealing with development, environment, and disaster mitigation in the Himalayan belt. He has served on several government committees, including chairing the Char Dham Pariyojana Committee and the one studying the impact …

Char Dham project: SC appoints ex-judge Justice Sikri as chairperson of High Powered Committee
2 years, 9 months ago

Char Dham project: SC appoints ex-judge Justice Sikri as chairperson of High Powered Committee

Firstpost  

The HPC would consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Char Dham project on the entire Himalayan valley New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday appointed its former judge Justice AK Sikri as Chairperson of the court-appointed High Powered Committee to look after the environmental concerns and other issues related to the Char Dham highway project. Attorney General KK …

Explained: The Char Dham Project, Its Ecological Impact & the SC Judgment
3 years ago

Explained: The Char Dham Project, Its Ecological Impact & the SC Judgment

The Quint  

What Were the Objections? A High-Powered Committee was set up the Supreme Court to consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Chardham project on the Himalayan valleys. Supreme Court Rules in Favour of 5.5 KM Road Length The Supreme Court in September 2020 upheld the recommendation of the minority, ruling that the carriageway width should be limited 5.5 m …

SC allows Centre to widen Char Dham roads in view of security concerns at Indo-China border
3 years ago

SC allows Centre to widen Char Dham roads in view of security concerns at Indo-China border

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Centre to construct all-weather roads with 10-metre tarred surfaces, as opposed to the 5.5-metre-wide road ordered earlier, as a part of the Char Dham project. The three strategic roads sought to be expanded form a part of the 889-km Char Dham road expansion project to link the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, …

Char Dham Highway Project : Supreme Court Allows Defence Ministry's Plea To Allow Double Lane Widening
3 years ago

Char Dham Highway Project : Supreme Court Allows Defence Ministry's Plea To Allow Double Lane Widening

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed an application filed by the Ministry of Defence for the double-lane widening of roads that are part of the 899-km Char Dham project in Uttarakhand.A bench comprising Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Vikram Nath pronounced orders in the application filed by the Ministry of Defence seeking modification of the order dated …

The road to a Himalayan blunder
3 years, 1 month ago

The road to a Himalayan blunder

The Hindu  

The Char Dham road project, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016, is an ambitious attempt to widen nearly 900 kilometres of hill roads at the cost of ₹12,000 crore. The new circular read: “For roads in hilly and mountainous terrain which act as feeder roads to the Indo-China border or are of strategic importance for national security, the …

Centre justifies Char Dham highway widening in SC
3 years, 1 month ago

Centre justifies Char Dham highway widening in SC

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday cited the width of defence equipment that will be required to be moved to the Line of Actual Control border with China to justify the widening of the nearly 900-km Char Dham highway through the fragile Himalayan ranges, as the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a challenge to the decision to widen the …

Char Dham Road begins extracting ecological costs: 25 landslides this season
3 years, 3 months ago

Char Dham Road begins extracting ecological costs: 25 landslides this season

Hindustan Times  

The all-weather Char Dham road in Uttarakhand has witnessed 25 major landslides this rainy season, forcing the administration to close two stretches of roads in Tehri Garwhal for indefinite periods and indicating that “unscientific” road construction was causing huge damage to the fragile local ecology. But in five years of Char Dham road construction, there have been at least 200 …

Monsoon session: Cong to raise Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, land law issues
3 years, 4 months ago

Monsoon session: Cong to raise Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, land law issues

Hindustan Times  

The upcoming monsoon session in the Uttarakhand assembly in Dehradun is likely to be a stormy one with opposition Congress bracing up to attack the BJP led government by raising the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Act and land law issues. Apart from these, we would also be attacking the government on the issues of Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board …

No Link Between Uttarakhand Floods, Highway Construction for Char Dham Project: Govt
3 years, 9 months ago

No Link Between Uttarakhand Floods, Highway Construction for Char Dham Project: Govt

News 18  

Construction and widening of roads for the Char Dham project did not contribute to the Uttarakhand floods disaster, Parliament was informed on Monday. The strategic 900-km Char Dham highway project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — in Uttarakhand. “As per reports received from Government of Uttarakhand, Geological Survey of India …

SC allows Centre to file response to letter linking Chardham project to Uttarakhand disaster
3 years, 10 months ago

SC allows Centre to file response to letter linking Chardham project to Uttarakhand disaster

Firstpost  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Centre to respond to the “allegations” of the Chairman of committee on Chardham project linking broadening of the road to the recent flash floods on Dhauliganga river, which damaged Tapovan hydro project in Uttarakahnd. Venugopal said that the high powered committee chairperson Ravi Chopra has on his own written a letter to the …

No Link Between Char Dham Highway Project & Uttarakhand Disaster, Centre Tells Supreme Court
3 years, 10 months ago

No Link Between Char Dham Highway Project & Uttarakhand Disaster, Centre Tells Supreme Court

Live Law  

In December last year, the court had asked the HPC to consider the applications filed before the Court by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, against reducing the road width. The ministries had sought permission for the widening of the road in border areas and the completion of the Char Dham road project with …

No link between Char Dham road-widening project in Uttarakhand and flash floods, govt. says in SC
3 years, 10 months ago

No link between Char Dham road-widening project in Uttarakhand and flash floods, govt. says in SC

The Hindu  

The government on Wednesday denied in the Supreme Court any link between the Char Dham road-widening project in Uttarakhand and the recent flash floods in the Rishi Ganga valley, which claimed many lives and damaged the Tapovan hydro project. The 899-km-long Char Dham highway project connects four shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in Garhwal Himalayas The project is …

Char Dham Road Project: Supreme Court Directs To List The Petitions In Last Week Of January
3 years, 11 months ago

Char Dham Road Project: Supreme Court Directs To List The Petitions In Last Week Of January

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Monday listed the Char Dham Yatra road project for hearing on a Non-Miscellaneous Day in the last week of January, the interim order to keep the road width at 5.5m continuing in the meantime. In December last year, the bench of Justice Rohinton Nariman had asked the High Powered Committee, set-up by it, to consider the …

Govt asks SC to accept panel’s majority view on wider road for Char Dham highway project
3 years, 11 months ago

Govt asks SC to accept panel’s majority view on wider road for Char Dham highway project

Hindustan Times  

The ministry of road transport and highways has urged the Supreme Court to accept the majority view of the high-powered committee, which has favoured a 10-metre road width for the Rs.12,000-crore Char Dham highway project. The top court had in September 2020 ordered that the road width on the entire Char Dham route cannot be more than 5.5 m in …

Char Dham Road Project: Supreme Court Directs High Powered Committee To Consider Applications Against Reduction Of Width
4 years ago

Char Dham Road Project: Supreme Court Directs High Powered Committee To Consider Applications Against Reduction Of Width

Live Law  

In Char Dham road project matter, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the High Powered Committee set-up by it to consider the applications filed before the Court by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, against reducing the road width, in two weeks. The ministries had sought permission for the widening of the road in …

SC Orders To Keep Width Of Char Dham Highway At 5.5 Meters As Per 2018 MoRTH Circular [Read Order]
4 years, 3 months ago

SC Orders To Keep Width Of Char Dham Highway At 5.5 Meters As Per 2018 MoRTH Circular [Read Order]

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that the width of hilly and mountainous terrains for the Char Dham Highway project to be constructed in accordance with the 2018circular of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. A 3-judge bench comprising of Justices RF Nariman, Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee took into consideration the current situation with regard to the eco …

Adhere to Ministry circular on roads in Char Dham: SC to Centre
4 years, 3 months ago

Adhere to Ministry circular on roads in Char Dham: SC to Centre

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Centre to adhere to a Union Road Ministry circular of March 2018, which had advised against building full-fledged roads cutting across the fragile Himalayan slopes, while implementing the ₹12,000-crore ambitious Char Dham project for better connectivity to pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand. A Bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman also directed the government to …

'There Appear to be Violations of Forest Rules in Flagship Char Dham Road Project': SC Panel Chief
4 years, 3 months ago

'There Appear to be Violations of Forest Rules in Flagship Char Dham Road Project': SC Panel Chief

News 18  

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi-led government’s flagship Char Dham all-weather road project that seeks to widen road connectivity in Uttarakhand has come under spotlight once again. Further, HPC chairman Ravi Chopra also wrote a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change detailing alleged lapses in compliance of forest rules and wildlife laws. The HPC chairman Ravi …

Halt Char Dham project, environmentalists petition Modi
4 years, 3 months ago

Halt Char Dham project, environmentalists petition Modi

The Hindu  

A group of 40 scientists, environmentalists and ecologists have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a halt to the Chardham road construction work and that the recommendation of environmentalist Ravi Chopra, who heads a Supreme Court-appointed committee to advise on the sustainable execution of the project, be heeded. Chardham project: Supreme Court panel split on width of access roads …

Discover Related