No Felling Of 6,000 Trees For Gangotri Highway Widening, New Plan Chalked Out

Dehradun: Facing stiff opposition from environmentalists over proposed tree felling for the widening of the Uttarkashi-Gangotri Highway, the government has dropped the plan to cut down of over 6,000 trees. Instead, an alternative arrangement has been made, which requires felling of around 1,000 trees.

Earlier, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under the Ministry of Defence had requested permission to cut down 6,822 trees for the Gangotri Highway widening project, and subsequently, the Central government had approved it.

The project, however, drew strong opposition from environmentalists, who argued that cutting down trees so extensively would not only harm the environment but also invite disasters. Thousands of people joined environmentalists to raise their voice against tree felling. They tied 'Raksha Sutras' (protective threads) on cedar trees and pledged to protect them from being cut down.

The stretch along the Gangotri Highway where the widening was proposed falls within an eco-sensitive zone. This is the same area where a disaster had struck recently. Despite this, the MorTH and BRO planned to widen the road here, primarily to facilitate the Indian Army in ensuring better access to the India-China border. The road widening was aimed at facilitating movement of Army jawans.

In view of the protests, the highway widening project has been slightly tweaked. As per the new proposal, the width of the Gangotri Highway, which was supposed to be 12 metres, has been reduced to 11 metres, said an official of the BRO. With this, only 1413 trees need to be cut along the Gangotri Highway instead of the proposed 6822 trees.

"The BRO is planning to build a 90-kilometre road here, extending up to the Bhairav ​​Valley from Baraithi. The reduced road width will result in cutting down of fewer trees. We will undertake a plantation drive for more than 1,000 trees," said BRO commander Rajkishore Singh.

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1. Uttarakhand: Villagers Protest Green Activists Opposing Removal Of 6,000 Trees For Gangotri Highway Widening Project
2. Over 5,000 Trees Marked For Felling To Expand National Highway In Uttarakhand