In 2012, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change brought out a notification declaring a 100-km, 4179-sq km area between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone to provide it legal protection from environmental degradation.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has paved the way for the NH-34 stretch of the PMO's ambitious Chardham highway widening project, that will connect Uttarakhand's holy sites, as it disposed of a plea that alleged that the project was violating provisions of Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone. In an undertaking, the Uttarakhand state government and the Border Roads Organisation assured the green court in an undertaking that the project would be carried out with due compliance of laws in force, especially the Bhagirathi notification of December 2012.
They further stated that during the project implementation, they would ensure that no muck is thrown either into the river, water bodies or in the forest or green area down the hill. The NGT bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, said that in view of the statements made, the application is disposed of. The bench added, "We make it clear that in the event, there is violation of any law or breach of the statement as made before the Tribunal, the applicant would have the right to approach the Tribunal, in accordance with law."
In 2012, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change brought out a notification declaring a 100-km, 4179-sq km area between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone to provide it legal protection from environmental degradation. Mining, major development works and large hydel projects are prohibited in the eco-sensitive zone, as per the notification.
The plea before the NGT's chairperson bench was filed by Uttarakhand local Birendra Singh Matura and others. It had raised an alarm about mountain blasting and felling of thousands of trees in the Bhagirathi river valley for widening of National Highway-34. One of the related petitions in the matter also pertained specifically to a nine-km stretch in Bhairon Ghati on the Uttarkashi to Gangotri route. It had said that debris were being dumped into the river valley during the road widening. In fact, during a hearing on May 4, the state government had admitted that BRO dumped muck on the fragile hill slopes.
On December 27, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the all-weather Chardham highway project at Dehradun ahead of the Uttarakhand state assembly elections. The project involves developing and widening 900-km of national highways connecting the holy Hindu pilgrimage sites of; Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri at an estimated cost of Rs.12,000 crores. The roads will be widened from 12m to 24m and the project will involve construction of tunnels, bypasses, bridges, subways and viaducts.
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