Char Dham National Highway construction project (commonly called as Chardham Project) is an “under construction” project in the state of Uttarakhand. The project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27th December 2016.
Key Points
Environmentalists allege violations in the Char Dham project
The Supreme Court of India has said that its orders of making appropriate width roads in the mountainous terrain are not being followed. The court has highlighted that the environmentalists have alleged that the contractors making roads in the Char Dham project are violating the standard norms.
However, the coordinator of the Char Dham project, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has denied any such violations in the construction of the roads under the project. The ministry submitted an affidavit in the court on the progress of the project.
The decision on the width of the roads was made by the High-level committee set by the Supreme Court under the leadership of Ravi Chopra who is the former Director of the People’s Science Institute.
FASTag Mandatory
Recently the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has made FASTag mandatory for all four-wheelers. It will be applicable from January 1, 2021.