Road construction in Himalayas destroying fragile ecology: Karan Singh

Jammu, Mar 13: Senior leader and former Union minister Karan Singh on Friday said large-scale road construction in the Himalayan region was damaging the fragile mountain ecosystem and warned that the consequences of such development would be felt in the coming years.
Speaking at a programme here, Singh said the construction of four-lane and six-lane highways in the Himalayas was inappropriate for the region’s terrain.
“The roads they are building in the Himalayas, these four lanes and six lanes, are completely wrong. They have destroyed the Himalayas,” he said.
Singh said he had written to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, asking that road construction in mountainous areas be approached differently from projects in the plains.
He said Gadkari had undertaken significant road development in the plains but warned that similar standards should not be applied in the Himalayan region.
“The way roads are being built in the plains is good, but measuring the Himalayas with the same yardstick will destroy the mountains,” Singh said.
He said the impact of large-scale construction was already being witnessed in Himalayan states.
“We will have to bear the consequences of this development. We are already seeing it. Look at what happened this year in Jammu and in Himachal Pradesh,” he said, referring to recent incidents linked to extreme weather and landslides in the region.
Singh said there was a need for clear government guidelines on road construction in mountainous areas and suggested that roads in such terrain should not exceed two lanes.
“There is no need for four lanes in the mountains. Two-lane roads are sufficient for tourists and travellers,” he said.
The former minister also expressed concern over increasing tourism-related construction in the Himalayan region, warning that unchecked development could damage the ecological balance of the mountains.
He said development policies should take into account the environmental sensitivity of the Himalayas and the cultural and religious significance associated with the region.
Singh added that the Himalayan ecosystem was fragile and required careful planning to ensure that infrastructure projects do not lead to long-term damage. (KNS)