Murli Manohar Joshi, Karan Singh ask Centre to reassess Char Dham projects in Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zones

The veteran leaders said that the project approvals are “illegal and untenable” that will “significantly increase the risk to human life and downstream settlements.”

New Delhi: Veteran leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and Karan Singh have written to three top cabinet ministers seeking cancellation of the approvals granted for two key segments of the Char Dham project, noting that the clearances are “illegal and untenable” that will “significantly increase the risk to human life and downstream settlements.”

Flagging the fragile nature of the Himalayas, the senior leaders wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and director general of the Border Roads Organisation on grave ecological threats posed by the construction of Netala bypass and felling of nearly 7,000 trees in a Deodar forest in Jhala-Jangla stretch of the project.

“The forest clearance for the Netala bypass is illegal as it runs contrary to the directions of the Supreme Court that granted only a conditional approval to Char Dham works, strictly subject to adherence to the recommendations of the High-Powered Committee,” they wrote in a letter to the ministers sent last week.

The high powered committee, they said, recommended the cancellation of the Netala bypass, considering its non-feasibility.

Joshi and Singh together with other activists urged the ministers to cancel both clearances and carry out a cumulative environmental and disaster risk assessment of the projects being undertaken in Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone.

The approval for tree felling in the Jhala-Jangla stretch, they said, were “alarming and unlawful” because the forest stands on loose debris and unstable geological material, in the same area where the recent Dharali disaster took place.

“Any form of disturbance — whether felling, uprooting, or even so-called ‘transplantation’ of trees — will inevitably destabilise the slope, alter hydrology, and significantly increase the risk to human life and downstream settlements,” they wrote.

The two road construction projects – both are part of the overall Char Dham programme – received “in-principle” approval from Uttarakhand forest department last year.

The Char Dham project aims to widen nearly 900 km of roads in an ecologically sensitive valley to connect the four famed Hindu religious sites – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

“We have been assured at the highest levels of government that these concerns are under active consideration for a review of the project in light of the precautionary principle. It is both prudent and legally imperative that all concerned agencies exercise restraint and stay their hands in order to prevent any and every kind of irreversible damage in this already fragile and highly vulnerable region,” they wrote.

Since Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone was formed with the intention of protecting the last pristine set of the Ganga, projects in this zone – including those needed for national security – would mandate the highest level of environmental scrutiny, including a detailed environmental impact assessment, they added.