How Will Army Move If War Breaks Out, Road Widening Under Chardham Project Is A Must To Protect Country: Centre to SC

Attorney General KK Venugopal on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that if the Army cannot move its missile launchers, heavy machinery up to the northern Indo-China border, then how will it defend it and fight a war, if it breaks out. Today there is a situation where the country needs to be protected and all the available resources and forces need to be combined to protect the country, AG told the Court.

The AG was opposing a PIL challenging the widening of the Chardham Highway Project. 

He further said that these are inhospitable terrains where Army needs to move heavy vehicles, machineries, weapons, missiles, tanks, troops and food supplies. Our Brahmos missile is 42 feet long and needs large vehicles to carry its launchers. If the Army cannot move its missile launchers and machinery up to the northern China border, then how will it fight a war, if it breaks out, the AG submitted.

We have to be careful and on guard. We are to remain prepared. Our Defence Minister attended Indian Road Congress and had said that the Army needs disaster-resilient roads, the AG submitted.

The Attorney General was arguing an application moved by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to modify an order issued by the Supreme Court restrained the government to build roads in the project not more than 5.5 wide in its strategic 900-km-long Chardham project worth Rs 12,000 crore aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns -- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath -- in Uttarakhand. The road goes up to the Indo-China border.

In its application, the MoD had sought modification of the order and directions that the national highways from Rishikesh to Mana, from Rishikesh to Gangotri and from Tanakpur to Pithoragarh may be developed to two-lane configuration.

The Bench had issued the order on a plea filed by Citizens for Green Doon, an NGO, against the widening of the road claiming It will endanger the lives of soldiers and people as the Himalayas don't need any such thing to happen.

The Bench of Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Vikram Nath reserved its verdict while asking the government to file written submissions on the steps taken and to be taken to mitigate landslides in the region. Earlier, the government stated all necessary steps have been taken to mitigate the disaster and added that landslides have happened in various parts of the country and not specifically due to road construction.

On Wednesday, the Court had asked the Centre and an NGO to suggest additional safeguards which it could impose on implementing agencies of the ambitious Chardham project, if it allows the multi-thousand crore project to go on considering the huge ramification of the country's defence needs.

The Attorney General said that appropriate studies have been undertaken, including geological surveys, morphology, and human activities in the vulnerable areas and steps like slope stabilisation, afforestation, scientific muck disposal have been undertaken. Venugopal said that the Indian Road Congress (IRC) has recommended an additional 1.5-meter width in snow-bound areas so that vehicles can move in those areas.

Explaining the reason for the wider road, the Attorney General submitted that, the build-up on the other side of the border can only be accessed through passes in these mountains. The High Powered Committee (HPC) supervising the Chardham project in its report did not address these concerns of the Army. The HPC report is far cry from the needs of the Army. We need to ensure that all the facilities which are needed by the Army are provided. We cannot raise our hands and say that our roads are of 5.5-meter width and therefore our Brahmos launchers cannot go up the hill. There are huge Tata trucks, tanks, and other smerch multiple rocket launchers which need to go up the hill, he said.

The Senior Counsel submitted that the Army has to undertake a stupendous task to reach up to the China border through the mountain passes, come landslides or snowfall. Can the Army say that it will not take these mountain roads as landslides happen and hence it cannot protect the borders? There are no alternatives, AG argued.

We have to live with landslides. We have to deal with it through mitigating steps. Landslides have happened in Karnataka, North Eastern States, West Bengal, and other parts of the country. It has not spared anybody. It has to be accepted that Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand witness more landslides.

The Senior Counsel informed the court about the steps taken by the government. He said the HPC report focuses on totally different aspects and did not consider the situations of the Army which it has to undertake. Our roads need to be disaster resilient. There are specialised protection measures undertaken in the vulnerable areas, where frequent landslides occur and heavy snowfall blocks the road, he said.

Senior Advocate Collin Gonsalves, appearing for the NGO, said that the road widening project has to be stopped. These activities cannot be allowed by the Himalayas. These are god-given restrictions, if you forcefully try to do it, the mountains will reclaim it. There were some mitigation steps taken but they were all washed out, he submitted.

With PTI Inputs