<p style=”margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>Source – The Hindu</span></span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom: 13px; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>GS Paper – 2 and 3</span></span></span></b></span></span></span></p>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>Context -</span></span></span></b> <span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:#333333″><span style=”letter-spacing:.25pt”>A Supreme Court-appointed expert committee has alleged violations of the court orders in the execution of <strong><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>the Chardham road project.</span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><strong><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”background:#fcfcfc”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:#333333″><span style=”letter-spacing:.25pt”>Key facts </span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:2px; text-align:justify”><span style=”font-size:12pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”font-family:"Times New Roman",serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:#090909″>The Supreme Court had ruled that width of roads constructed under Chardham project shall be 5.5 metres. This was ruled based on the recommendation of Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) for mountain roads.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:2px; text-align:justify”><span style=”font-size:12pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”font-family:"Times New Roman",serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”><span style=”color:#090909″>To the contrary, the GoI had sanctioned road width of 10-12 metres. The MoRTH has allowed the 700 km road project to continue with 10-metre width. This according to the Committee is a contravention of the SC</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:2px; text-align:justify”> </p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>What is chardham project</span></span></span></b><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>?</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”tab-stops:list .5in”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>The Char Dham programme is an initiative to improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas namely <b>Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”tab-stops:list .5in”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>These four ancient pilgrimages sites in Uttarakhand <b>are known as Chota Char Dham </b>to <b>differentiate them from </b>the bigger circuit of modern day <b>Char Dham sites namely Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”tab-stops:list .5in”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>The works under Char Dham Pariyojna are being implemented on <b>Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode</b> of contract.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:black”><span style=”tab-stops:list .5in”><span style=”line-height:115%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>These projects are being implemented by three executing agencies of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, viz,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<ol style=”list-style-type:upper-alpha”>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:#333333″><span style=”line-height:normal”><span style=”tab-stops:list 1.0in”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>Uttarakhand State PWD,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:#333333″><span style=”line-height:normal”><span style=”tab-stops:list 1.0in”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>Border Road Organization(BRO) and</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”text-align:justify; margin-bottom:13px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”background:white”><span style=”color:#333333″><span style=”line-height:normal”><span style=”tab-stops:list 1.0in”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-size:12.0pt”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria","serif"”>National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
<p style=”margin-bottom:13px”> </p>