Supreme Court Reserves Decision On Widening Char Dham Roads
NDTV
"Defence concerns cannot be over-ridden especially in light of border incidents in the recent past," Justice DY Chandrachud said.
The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on widening of roads that are part of the 899-km Char Dham project in Uttarakhand. The court has asked both sides -- the Center and the petitioner non-profit -- to file their written suggestions within two days. The non-profit has asked the court to stop the widening of roads.
The Centre, citing the Chinese build-up on the other side, has appealed for widening the road, which, it said, are feeder roads for the border roads and are of great strategic importance.
The Centre has also sought amendment to the top court's order of September 2020, in which the judges kept the Char Dham roads limited to 5.5 meters. The Centre has argued that the roads should be widened up to 10 meters.
During the hearing on November 9, the judges had said the issue was nuanced and the needs of defence and environment have to be balanced.