The Uttarakhand government has approved the diversion of forest land for a road project in the fragile Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone. The approval comes only weeks after devastating flash floods hit nearby areas, raising fresh concerns about the risks of construction in such vulnerable Himalayan terrain.
According to official documents dated July 21, the Uttarakhand forest department has given clearance to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to construct an 8.7-kilometre stretch of road between Hina and Tekhla in Uttarkashi. The project will require diversion of 17.5 hectares of forest land. This road forms part of the ambitious Char Dham route, which is being developed to improve connectivity to key pilgrimage sites while also serving strategic defence needs.
Ranjan Mishra, the state’s principal chief conservator of forests, confirmed the approval. He explained that the state government decided to go ahead because the road is strategically important. The stretch will help provide faster access to the India-China border, a region of significant security concern.
However, the timing of this approval has drawn criticism. The clearance was granted less than three weeks after the destructive flash floods in Dharali on August 5. The floods occurred about 70 kilometres upstream from the approved stretch. Environmental activists point out that such disasters underline the risks of building large infrastructure in ecologically delicate areas.
Experts warn that further forest loss in this region will only increase the danger of landslides, slope instability, and floods. They fear that cutting down pristine forests and digging through fragile mountain slopes could destabilise the terrain permanently.
The project has also gone against earlier recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee (HPC) on the Char Dham road project. In its final report submitted in 2020, the panel led by Ravi Chopra had advised dropping the Netala bypass — the same stretch now approved — because of the geological risks. The report stated that the existing alignment could be repaired and strengthened instead of building a new road through sensitive forest land.
The committee members, however, were divided. While five members, including Chopra, warned that the road would cause “irreversible damage” to Himalayan ecology, a majority of 21 members argued that the ecological impact could be reduced with careful planning. They also supported building the road with a width of 10 metres, compared to the 5.5-metre width recommended by the minority group.
Independent experts have also expressed serious concerns. They describe the forest area as pristine and fragile, grown on old landslide deposits and criss-crossed by rain-fed streams. Building a road through such terrain, they warn, could trigger slope failures and subsidence.
Two Uttarakhand-based experts — geologist Navin Juyal and social activist Hemant Dhyani, both of whom had earlier worked with official committees — recently flagged the risks again. In a note to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, they warned that the road is likely to become unstable and dangerous.
Local leaders have also voiced worries. American Puri, a ward head in Uttarkashi, said people are still traumatised by the Dharali floods and fear more disasters. According to him, many local leaders have even written to the central government asking for the forest clearance to be reconsidered.
Despite these objections, the project has moved ahead largely because of its defence importance. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament last year that the final 150-kilometre stretch of the Char Dham road project, which passes through the Bhagirathi Eco Sensitive Zone, must maintain a minimum width of 10 metres. This is necessary, he explained, to allow movement of heavy defence equipment to the border.
The project has therefore been prioritised for national security reasons, even though environmentalists argue it will put lives and ecology at risk.
The Bhagirathi zone, through which the road is planned, is already prone to natural disasters such as landslides and flash floods. Scientists note that road-widening, deforestation, and blasting for construction further weaken mountain slopes, making them unstable during heavy rains. The August 5 floods in Dharali were a painful reminder of how fragile the Himalayan ecosystem has become.
On one side, the government argues that building and widening roads is essential for both pilgrimage access and defence preparedness. The Char Dham route is not only important for tourism and local economic development but also plays a role in ensuring quick military mobilisation in case of tensions along the India-China border.
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On the other side, environmentalists and local communities fear that large-scale construction will increase their vulnerability. They argue that development should not come at the cost of human safety and environmental stability. Instead of new bypasses, they suggest repairing and strengthening existing roads using eco-friendly engineering methods.
The controversy highlights a larger challenge facing hill states like Uttarakhand: how to balance national security and development with the fragile ecology of the Himalayas. The mountains provide not only defence advantages but also water security to millions of people downstream. Damage to these ecosystems can have widespread consequences far beyond Uttarakhand.
For now, the state government has taken the side of strategic importance, granting clearance to the project. But with monsoons becoming increasingly unpredictable and disasters more frequent, the risks of such projects remain high. Whether the Netala bypass ultimately serves the country’s needs or worsens the region’s vulnerability will be closely watched in the years to come.
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