Char Dham Pariyojana
Also called: Char Dham road project · Topic: Transport and Communication in India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Char Dham Pariyojana is a project to widen about 900 km of mountain roads in Uttarakhand to four Hindu pilgrimage sites: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The aim is all-weather roads for pilgrims and quicker army movement towards the China border. Experts warn that cutting into the young, fragile Himalayan slopes can cause landslides. In December 2021 the Supreme Court allowed wider roads on defence grounds, despite these warnings.
Example
In November 2023 the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, which is part of this project, collapsed while it was being built. Workers were trapped inside for days.
Don't confuse with
- Border roads built by BRO: these are mainly defence roads along the border. Char Dham Pariyojana is mainly a pilgrimage road project, though defence was the reason the court allowed it.
Related concepts
- Border roads
- Border Roads Organisation
- Atal Tunnel
- Sela Tunnel
- Zojila Tunnel
- Arunachal Frontier Highway