All weather road to be completed by 2.5 year; CM

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

The Uttarakhand Government has resolved to complete work on the 899-km all-weather Char Dham road by March 2019. It comprises expanding the existing road and building new tunnels by cutting mountains.  To review the progress report union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari is likely to visit Dehradun on January 8. Meanwhile Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has claimed that all weather road will be completed by two and half years.

Around 80 per cent of the forest clearances have been achieved for the project, and only a portion that will pass through the eco-sensitive zone is left.

“Cutting of mountains will be completed before the monsoon. Areas have been earmarked for waste disposal,” said Om Prakash, Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department.

As the Char Dham Yatra will resume after the winter months, the authorities want to shift BSNL cables, electricity poles and water connections before that. “Inconvenience to pilgrims during the yatra cannot be ruled out, but it will be minimum. Further, it is temporary as the journey in the coming years will be more safe and easy,” said Om Prakash.

“At least 50,000 trees will be cut and put on sale. It is difficult to transplant trees in the hilly terrain,” he said.

The government has also completed 65 per cent work of land acquisition and  the alternative land will be given to those affected in Haridwar. People in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli have been staging protest against inadequate compensation