Uttarakhand plans to build 12 tunnel parkings in hill districts, environmentalists flag concern

Uttarkashi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Uttarakhand government will build 12 tunnel parkings in the hill districts of Tehri, Pauri, Nainital and Uttarkashi to decongest popular tourist and pilgrimage spots, officials here said on Tuesday.

Two tunnel parkings to be built in Uttarkashi district are proposed for the Himalayan temples of Gangotri and Yamunotri, District Magistrate Meharban Singh Bisht said.

However, environmentalists have warned that the plan to build tunnel parkings at Gangotri and Yamunotri -- two of the four dhams -- does not bode well for the fragile Himalayan ecology.

Twelve tunnel parkings are proposed to be built in the state in the hill districts of Tehri, Pauri, Nainital and Uttarkashi as part of a plan to decongest popular tourist and pilgrimage spots which suffer routinely from long traffic jams during the peak of the tourist season and the Chardham Yatra, according to officials.

The decision has been taken in view of the record number of pilgrims visiting the Himalayan temples year after year, they said, adding that an infrastructure which can handle huge crowds is the need of the hour.

According to Bisht, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has selected land for the construction of a tunnel parking in Gangotri about four km away from the temple, while the survey is still underway at two locations for the one proposed to be built in Yamunotri Dham.

The district administration had sent a proposal of the tunnel parking project in Gangotri to the state government keeping in mind the Chardham Yatra and the strategic importance of the area due to its proximity to the India-China border, he said.

An initial amount of Rs 77 lakh has already been provided to the NHIDCL for the construction of the tunnel parking in Gangotri.

Executive Engineer of Water Development Authority Vineet Rastogi said each tunnel parking will have a capacity to accommodate 400 vehicles at a time.

The construction of these tunnel parkings which will be the first of their kind in the country and will reduce traffic congestion on the Chardham Yatra route, Rastogi said.

Meanwhile, Uttarkashi-based environmentalist Suresh Bhai on Tuesday said the proposed building of tunnel parkings in the hills was a "consumerist development" which does not bode well for the fragile Himalayan ecology of the region.

"It is a consumerist development. There have been 33 earthquakes in Uttarkashi in 30 years measuring above 5 on the Richter scale. This area has become very sensitive in terms of earthquakes and disasters. Therefore, the mountains should not be weakened by digging tunnels here," Bhai, a Gandhian social worker and environment activist said.

He suggested multi-storey overbridge parking as a safer alternative.

"Instead a 2, 3 or 4 storey over bridge parking should be built, " he said.

The soil dug out for building these tunnels will also be dumped into the Ganga and the Yamuna which will further pollute the rivers, he pointed out.

He said the Silkyara tunnel collapse in which 41 workers were trapped in a part of the tunnel for 17 days should serve as a wake-up call for authorities. "Site selection for an ambitious project like this has to be done very carefully keeping in mind the vulnerability of the area to disasters. All precautions should be taken to minimise the risk factor," the environmentalist said. PTI COR ALM RPA