Syllabus: GS-III Infrastructure

Why in the News?

The Char Dham Project is once again in the spotlight as nearly 60 environmentalists and academics have appealed to the Supreme Court to review its 2021 judgment allowing the widening of Himalayan roads to 10–12 metres. They argue that excessive hill-cutting has led to massive landslides, sinking zones, and ecological destruction in Uttarakhand, making the fragile terrain more disaster-prone.

About the Char Dham Project

• Launched: 2016 by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• Objective: All-weather connectivity to four sacred shrines of Uttarakhand — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath — hence “Char Dham.”
• Scope: Widening of ~825 km of highways in the Himalayas, divided into 53 packages. As of mid-2025, ~629 km were completed.

Strategic Element: Some highways (Rishikesh–Mana, Rishikesh–Gangotri, Tanakpur–Pithoragarh) double as feeder routes to the Indo-China border.

Significance of the Project

• Pilgrimage & Tourism Boost
  • Char Dham yatra attracts lakhs annually; improved roads will enhance safety, comfort, and economic growth.
• Strategic Military Importance
  • Border roads enable faster troop movement and logistics during conflicts with China.
  • After the 2017 Doklam stand-off, the Ministry of Defence strongly pushed for wider roads.
• Regional Development
  • Better road connectivity could improve livelihoods, trade, and disaster response capacity in remote Himalayan villages.

Environmental Concerns

• Landslides & Sinking Zones
  • Hill-cutting destabilises fragile slopes. Example: Dharali disaster (2025), frequent landslides near Gangotri and Pithoragarh.
• Loss of Forests & Biodiversity
  • Thousands of deodar and oak trees fell; forest fragmentation threatens species.
• Impact on Water Resources
  • The Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ) — origin of the Ganga — is being disrupted, affecting water flows.
• Disaster Amplification
  • Wider roads mean more debris dumping, flash floods, and soil erosion.
  • The 2013 Kedarnath floods showed the vulnerability of such terrain.
    

Centre’s Stand

• Roads must balance development with national security.
• The Ministry of Defence argued that a 10-metre double-lane paved-shoulder (DL-PS) width is essential for quick military movement.
• Govt assured mitigation measures like bio-engineering, slope stabilisation, and controlled blasting.
  

Judiciary’s Judgement

• 2018: Expert Committee recommended 5.5-metre road width in mountains.
• 2020 SC Order: Directed Centre to follow the 5.5-metre width.
• 2021 SC Judgment (CJI D.Y. Chandrachud bench):
  • Allowed widening to 10 metres (DL-PS standard) for 3 strategic highways.
  • Formed an Oversight Committee under Justice A.K. Sikri to ensure environmental safeguards.
    

Way Forward

• Balanced Approach
  • Adopt a differentiated standard: 5.5 metres for pilgrimage routes, 10 metres only for critical defence routes.
• Eco-sensitive Infrastructure
  • Use tunnels, slope stabilisation, debris recycling instead of indiscriminate hill-cutting.
• Disaster-Resilient Planning
  • Himalayan roads must be designed considering climate change, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and monsoon extremes.
• Participatory Governance
  • Local communities, scientists, and defence must jointly shape project guidelines.
    

Conclusion

The Char Dham Project epitomises the development vs environment dilemma in ecologically fragile zones. While national security and pilgrimage needs are undeniable, ignoring ecological red flags risks turning Uttarakhand into a permanent disaster zone. A middle path — sustainable infrastructure that respects both strategic and ecological concerns — is the only way forward.

Mains Practice Question

“The Char Dham Project reflects the tension between strategic imperatives and environmental sustainability in the Himalayas. Critically examine the significance, challenges, and way forward.”

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