Conserve Himalayas, MM Joshi, Karan Singh write to Gavai

Former Union ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Karan Singh on Friday appealed to CJI BR Gavai, requesting urgent cognisance of an appeal for conserving the Himalayas.

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A letter said, “The recent climate change impacts in the Himalaya have shaken us to our very core. Just recently, this court has taken cognisance of the existential crisis in the state of Himachal Pradesh, but the situation is similarly precarious and critical all over the western Himalaya, including Jammu and Kashmir.”

It said the impact in these areas had far-reaching consequences for downstream regions, and if there was no course correction now, the entire nation would have to bear the brunt.

The letter said it had attached an appeal by various concerned citizens, requesting the CJI to revisit the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding the ‘Chardham Pariyojana, which permitted “an unsuitable road design in the highways feeding to the border areas in the Himalayan terrain.” “This judgement, if not reviewed, will lead to irreparable and immediate impact in the Bhagirathi Eco sensitive zone (BESZ), which is the origin valley of the national river Ganga and is also the site of the recent Dharali disaster.”