To find out a permanent solution to poor road network, which was ravaged by last year’s disaster, on the Char Dham yatra routes, the Union Ministry of Road Transport is taking services of internationally renowned consultants. These consultants are working in seven packages covering 889 km of the roads in Uttarakhand.
A budget of Rs 25 crore has been earmarked for the six-month project and the consultants have started their work from January 28. The Chief Engineer Highways HK Upreti informed The Pioneer that the consultants would use state-of-the-art technology to undertake different surveys and would come out with a comprehensive plan for increasing the longevity of the roads. The consultants are also using the satellite remote sensing technology to monitor the condition of the terrain. At the same times, they are also using the lIDAR (light detection and ranging) based technique in the ground surveys to find the most feasible routes for roads.
The Engineering liaison Officer of Ministry of Road transport based at Dehradun, PK Maurya told this correspondent that these consultants would suggest areas where treatments like Geo jute, geo fibre, and geo-cells, nailing and netting can be done to stabilise the slopes which are chronic to landslides. He said that the consultants are also working on the areas where realignment of the existing roads would be a better option. The consultants would also suggest areas where new tunnels, by-passes, escape routes and broadening is required for maintaining a trouble free all weather road.
The State of Uttarakhand has a road network of over 27,000 km out of which 2,150 km is covered under the national highways. The Char Dham Yatra, which is one of the most sacred pilgrimages for Hindus, covers about 900 km of the Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri shrines route. The State Public Works Department (PWD) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) who are entrusted to maintain the Yatra route are struggling to bring the roads ravaged by disaster of May last year into operational worthiness before the start of Yatra.
All the consultants hired by the Central Transport Ministry are internationally acclaimed. Aecom Asia-team I, Casta Engineering Private limited, Smeck Private limited, Aecom Asia- team II, MC Engineering Private limited Team I, URS Scot Wilson Private limited and MC Engineering Private limited team II are the consultants entrusted the task to present a long lasting solution for the road network of Char Dham.
