SC panel head cites link between Char Dham road widening, Uttarakhand floods

Chopra said the report submitted by him and two members strongly argued that disaster resilience is more critical than simply wide highways. "Several chronic landslide-prone locations and stretches, where the slope stability is precarious, exist on the three Chardham highways identified by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as defence feeder roads. MoRTH data submitted to the HPC have identified 161 sensitive locations in 574 km (on NH-94 Rishikesh to Uttarkashi, NH-58 Rishikesh to Mana and NH-125 Tanakpur to Pithoragarh), about one location every 3.5 km," said the letter.

Chopra added that no convincing argument exists in the recent affidavit of the MoD to ignore and override the profound and irreversible ecological damage to the Himalayas that will impact each and every one of us and generations to come. The top court has granted two weeks to the government to come up with a response.

Last year, the Supreme Court ordered that the highway project, which was planned as a 10-metre wide road, can only be 5.5 metres wide. The Defence Ministry moved the top court citing necessity of road widening for swift movement of armed forces and their equipment along the India-China border and it will also ensure better amenities for the locals. Of the 26 members of the court-appointed panel, 21 favoured road widening.