Uttarakhand

• 14 May 2022

Helang-Marwari bypass cleared by Supreme Court

Why In News

• The Supreme Court has given a green signal to the construction of the proposed Helang-Marwari bypass road on badrinath highway under the Allweather Road project on May 13, 2022. The construction work will begin in July.

Key Point

• With the construction of this bypass route, the distance to Badrinath Dham will be reduced by 30 km. At the same time, the movement of troops in the China border area will become easier.
• The construction of the Helang-Marwari bypass road is proposed 13 km before Joshimath under the Allweather Road project. The route will be constructed for about 5 km in the lower part of Joshimath Nagar .
• It is worth mentioning that the 'Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti' agitated for nearly a year against the route, due to which the construction could not take place. The matter then reached the Supreme Court.
• Citing the ease of movement of troops to the China border area, the Union Transport Ministry has termed the construction of the bypass road as necessary, after which the construction of the route has got the green signal from the court.
• The construction of the bypass route will reduce the distance of Badrinath Dham by 30 km. So far, pilgrims have been reaching Marwari via Joshimath from Helang, a distance of 20 km, while the proposed bypass is about 5 km.