In Brief
The Supreme Court examined whether the Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana—a 900 km road-widening project connecting four Hindu pilgrimage shrines in Uttarakhand's Himalayas—should use narrower roads (5.5m intermediate width) to minimize environmental damage or broader roads (7m double-lane) to meet national security requirements. The Court, applying principles of sustainable development and environmental rule of law, permitted the broader width for three strategic border feeder roads serving the Indo-China frontier, recognizing that defence needs cannot be judicially overridden. However, the Court made this permission conditional on mandatory implementation of comprehensive environmental safeguards recommended unanimously by an expert High Powered Committee, including proper hill-cutting, muck disposal, wildlife protection, and disaster preparedness measures. A new Oversight Committee was established to monitor compliance, emphasizing that environmental protection must be integral to development, not merely a procedural checkbox.
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