Three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone for the Char Dham pilgrimage road improvement programme, the project is still running behind schedule. A parliamentary standing committee reported that only 1.1km of the 900km road project has been built although the project was supposed to be completed by March 2020.
“Only 1.1km of length has been completed so far and work is ongoing in only 646km stretch of the project, out of the 889km length of the project. The committee desires that the road transport ministry should look into the issues causing delays in the programme and come up with a new timeline for its completion which may be strictly adhered to,” a parliamentary committee report said.
The standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, headed by BJP Rajya Sabha MP T.G. Venkatesh, which submitted its report to Parliament on Friday, said the ministry should also take cognizance of the upcoming Kumbh Mela and take effective steps to ensure that the connecting roads to the host city are in good condition and meet the traffic needs of the area during this large congregation.
The parliamentary panel also expressed its concern over slowdown in the National Highways construction programme, and the financial health of the National Highways Authority of India.
The ministry, in its reply to the parliamentary panel, said the connectivity improvement programme for Char Dham (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunothri & Gangothri) in Uttarakhand involved projects of improvement and development of 889km length of NHs at total estimated cost of about Rs 11,700 crore. The programme was initially targeted for completion by March 2020. “The programme has been delayed due to litigation related to forest and environment clearance in various courts and the exact date of completion of the programme depends on final outcome,” the report quoted ministry as saying.
In terms of the physical progress, out of total 53 civil works covering the entire length under Char Dham project, 40 civil works at a cost of Rs 9,474 crore in a length of 673km have been sanctioned.
“Thirty-eight works in a length of 647km amounting to Rs 8,379 crore have been awarded out of which 36 works amounting to Rs 8,238 crore in length of 646km are ongoing, and two works amounting to Rs 141 crore in a length of 1.1 km have been completed. Balance 2 nos. works amounting to Rs 604 crore in a length of 25km are in tender stage,” the report said.
The temples located at Char Dham, a key pilgrimage for the Hindus, are also source for rivers Yamuna, Ganga, Mandakini and Alaknanda. The road had suffered massive damage during the devastating floods in 2013. The Char Dham yatra starts in April when the doors of these temples are opened after melting of snow.
The report also noted that no funds have been earmarked for the development of Sabarimala National Highway (NH-183A). “Since lakhs of devotees visit the shrine of Sabarimala, this project must be accorded priority and should be taken up without any delay and the hindrance coming in the way of development of this highway should be sorted out in consultation with the state government of Kerala,” the report said.
