Chardham project: Follow 2018 circular by highway ministry, says SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to go by its 2018 circular on the width of roads in hilly terrain in the execution of the Chardham road project. According to the 2018 guidelines, “intermediate carriageway of 5.5 m tarred surface be adopted” for roads in such terrain.

The Chardham project, meant to widen 889 km of hill roads to provide all-weather connectivity between the major pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand, had run into a heated debate with members of a Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee divided on the width of the road.

While the majority favoured increasing the width to 12 metres, the minority, including the committee chairman, backed 5.5 metres for the carriageway and additional paved shoulder