Title : THE CHAR DHAM PROJECT

Date : Dec 17, 2021

Description :

GS I

 

Topic à Indian Culture

 

• About the Chardham Project:

 

• The CharDham Pariyojana intends to "increase connection to the Chardham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), making journeys to these centres safer, faster, and more convenient."
• It would widen about 900 kilometres of roadways, including the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch of National Highway (NH) 125, which is part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route.

 

• National Security Role:

 

• This project could serve as a key feeder road connecting the India-China border to Army facilities in Dehradun and Meerut, which house missile sites and heavy equipment.
• Uttarakhand State Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), and National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited are the implementing agencies (NHIDCL).
• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways owns NHIDCL completely.

 

• Concerns about the environmental impact of the project:

 

• The project is expected to destroy 690 hectares of forest and 55,000 trees, as well as 20 million cubic metres of soil.
• The indiscriminate harvesting or removal of vegetation for road widening can be hazardous to biodiversity and regional ecology.
• Among the remarkable species found there are the Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos, Schedule-I), Tragopans (Tragopan melanocephalus & Tragopan satyra, Schedule-I), and different species of Vultures (Schedule-I), as well as the endangered fish Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora).
• While there is no link between the CharDham project and the recent Chamoli glacier break tragedy, uncontrolled blasting during road construction creates cracks in the soil and rocks, thereby increasing the risk of future flash floods.

 

• Source à The Hindu à 15/12/21 à Page Number 1

Tags : Chamoli glacier, flash floods