BJP, Congress Leaders Warn of Disaster in Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone
Image Source: Internet
Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress leader Karan Singh have urged transport minister Nitin Gadkari and environment minister Bhupender Yadav to cancel forest clearances granted by the Uttarakhand government for the Netala bypass and Jhala–Jangla stretch in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone.
The two leaders, along with other leaders from Uttarakhand, flagged that infrastructure projects are being proposed and implemented without considering the altered terrain and associated risks, despite the state’s aggravated risk profile.
They demanded that all ongoing and proposed works in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone be subjected to a fresh, cumulative environmental and disaster risk assessment.
The letter states that the Chardham road-widening project in the state of Uttarakhand is being carried out on the same road-width standard that has already proven itself to be disaster-prone and unsafe.
Both the clearances are illegal, untenable, and violative of binding constitutional, statutory, and judicial mandates, the letter adds.
