Considering the infrastructural and other developments by China on its side of the international border with India, the Government of India has approved various works for infrastructural development in strategically important areas.
As part of such efforts, officials from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Delhi and Forest Department recently completed a joint survey from Rishikesh to Chamba in Tehri district for the planned widening of the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi national highway.
In the first stage of the planned widening, the two departments have prepared a report on trees coming in the way of the road widening and land status. Officials state that the NHAI has submitted a proposal for the task to the ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change online.
It should be mentioned here that the Government of India is developing road network and undertaking road widening work to improve access to the strategically important areas along the Indo-China border. The plan for widening the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi national highway to the area near the international border area had remained relegated to official files for considerable time till now. Earlier, in the previous month a joint survey was conducted by officials of the NHA, forest department and revenue department from Agrakhal to Chamba in Tehri district. Aspects including trees coming in the way of the road widening, civil forest land and reserved forest land among other aspects were identified. The survey ascertained the presence of various species of trees, land owned by villagers and forest land in the area for road widening. Following approval from the Centre, this stretch which is presently six metres wide will be broadened to 12 metres.
Ajay Sharma, consultant of a Delhi based enterprise, informed that following the completion of the joint survey, the proposal for land acquisition has been submitted online to the MoEFCC. Further work on the road widening will commence after the necessary approval of Union Government hopefully in the near future, he added. State forest department ranger Buddhi Prakash said that a joint survey was conducted to mark trees in the area in question. In some places the NHAI had marked trees on both sides of the national highway slated for widening. However, objection was registered against this, following which instruction has been issued to take into consideration the trees on only one side of the road, he added.