DEHRADUN: The Centre’s nod for a tunnel on the Char Dham Yatra route that would cut travel time by almost an hour and also improve accessibility to an area that often gets snowbound and cut off has been welcomed by residents and stakeholders. However, environmentalists have cautioned that an assessment of the project report needs to be done to ascertain if the tunnelling will harm the already fragile Himalayan region.The Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs – headed by PM Narendra Modi – had on Tuesday given the nod for the Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel near Yamunotri in Radi Top area of Uttarkashi district which will be built at a cost of Rs 1,384 crore. This is one of the two tunnels to be constructed under the ambitious Rs 11,700 All-Weather Road project, considered a pet scheme of PM Modi. The other tunnel is proposed to be built near Chamba in Tehri district.The 4.5-km Silkyara Bend – Barkot tunnel is expected to cut short the distance on the yatra route by 20-km thereby providing a hour’s saving in travel time. “Due to heavy snowfall during winter this route remained closed for a period of close to four to five months but with the tunnel, we are hoping that traffic flow will be smooth throughout the year,” said Pushpa Chouhan, who runs a women’s self-help group in Uttarkashi. Kaushal Singh, a tour operator who organises package tours for all the dhams – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri – said that good road connectivity will help pilgrims as well as those conducting the tours. “Landslides are frequent especially on Yamunotri and Badrinath route and having a tunnel which will shorten the distance is a good move that will benefit pilgrims especially old travellers who face difficulty on the long route. This will save the energy of vehicle drivers, too, and help in reducing mishaps on the route.”Environmentalist Anil Joshi meanwhile said that the project should be executed with a lot of caution otherwise it may lead to disastrous results. “Since the tunnel is proposed in the ecologically fragile zone of the Himalayas, its construction should be carried out keeping in mind geological and environmental aspects of the area. Only after a go-ahead from experts, it should be constructed.” He added that in western countries like Switzerland and Holland, there are enough examples of tunnels being created without harming the ecology. “Even in countries like, China, tunnels have been made without harming forests or vegetation cover,” he added.The Char Dham project envisions construction of an almost 900-km long road network as part og which seven major road stretches are being built. These include the 140-km Rishikesh-Rudraprayag road which has a budget of Rs 2,166 crore, the 160-km Rudraprayag-Mana road which will cost Rs 1,542 crore, the 144-km Rishikesh-Dharsu road which is worth Rs 1,627 crore and the 124-km Dharsu-Gangotri road with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,079 crore among others. A total of 534 hectare land is to be acquired for the ambitious project.

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