Uttarakhand

• 10 Feb 2022

Chardham Project

Why in News

• On February 9, 2022, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that the Chardham All Weather Road project worth Rs 12,500 crore would be completed by December this year.

Key Points

• The approximately 889 km long Chardham project aims to improve connectivity to Chardham pilgrimage centers (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri) in the Himalayas, making travel to these centers safer, faster and more convenient.
• It is being implemented by Uttarakhand State Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organization (BRO) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
• Along with this, the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh highway and its part up to Lipulekh will also be completed by December 2022, which will facilitate the journey of Kailash-Mansarovar.
• It is noteworthy that in view of the environmental challenges in the context of this project, a petition was filed against it in the Supreme Court, but in the year 2021, keeping in mind the need for national security, the Supreme Court allowed China's border in the Chardham project in Uttarakhand. Conditional permission has been given to develop three connecting national highways of strategic importance (Rishikesh to Mana, Rishikesh to Gangotri and Tanakpur to Pithoragarh).