PrashantNews
It may not be very difficult to answer a simple question regarding why seawalls around the Gateway of India in Mumbai or British-time constructions in the country have stood the test of time for more than a century.
On the contrary in the post-independence, no guarantee is given when a new road is constructed. Take the case of the 900 km long new Chardham highway project which was constructed with a cost of Rs 11000 crore. There are reports that landslides are causing havoc on these roads.
Atul Sati, a prominent social activist in Joshimath, has recently shared a photograph in the social media depicting the worsening condition of all weather Badrinath road under the Chardham highway project. “Symbols of All Weather Road… have reached this speed in just two-three years. What will happen to the rest..?,” he wrote.
“Despite all the warnings and explanations, the government did what it wanted. Results have started coming.. Somewhere bridges, somewhere embankments, somewhere tunnels, somewhere roads are getting wiped out”, Sati said wrote on social media platform X.
A year ago, the situation was much worse. The incessant monsoon rains had taken a heavy toll on the Chardham highway project triggering landslides and cloudbursts at scores of places.
On the request of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday in the budget announced a special financial assistance to Uttarakhand which suffered losses due to floods and landslides last year. But this is a vicious circle. When the construction of the Chardham project had started few years ago, top environmentalists had expressed concern over the rampant felling of large number of trees. According to an estimate, the Charhdam highway project which was responsible for axing over 56,000 green trees has left a trail of vulnerable landslide-prone zones.
Meanwhile, experts have asked the government to hold contractors liable for construction of the damaged Chardham highways by delaying their payments. In this regard, they citied the ruling of the Meghalaya High Court which directed the state government to hold contractors liable to carry out the repair works of roads within a stipulated time period.