Recent expert reports have raised alarms over the Char Dham all-weather road widening project in the fragile Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone (BESZ). A Supreme Court-appointed panel linked recent floods and landslides to slope instability caused by construction, urging the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to reconsider the design.
The BESZ, declared in 2012, spans 4,179 sq km from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi to protect the Himalayan ecosystem. Restrictions limit hydropower projects, mining, and land-use changes, though a 2018 amendment allowed controlled infrastructure development.
Experts warn that the tectonically active region, prone to earthquakes and landslides, is at risk from slope-cutting activities. The 826 km Char Dham project, costing ₹12,000 crore, aims to connect four pilgrimage sites but passes through ecologically sensitive areas.
Recommendations include adopting alternate road designs, enforcing ESZ rules, and extending protections to higher Himalayan valleys. Sustainable development, they stress, is vital to safeguard the region’s stability.
