The Supreme Court said troops cannot be airlifted to high border areas while hearing a petition by an NGO objecting to widening of roads in the Char Dham highway project.

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that the Army required widened roads in the Char Dham highway project that goes up to the China border due to problems faced there.

The strategic 900-km Char Dham highway project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four towns — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — in Uttarakhand.

The Ministry of Defence has filed an application seeking recall of an earlier order where the court said the width should not be more than 5.5 metres.

Appearing for the NGO, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said, “The Army has never said we want these wide roads. Someone high up in political power said we want highways on the Char Dham yatra. The Army reluctantly went along.”

Gonsalves pointed out there had been massive landslides this year, exacerbating the damage in the mountains.

“The development of the highway was for the prestigious Char Dham project. The Army was not considered when these roads were being built. Now you can’t justify the roads for the Char Dham yatra, so you use the Army as an excuse,” Gonsalves said.

Justice Surya Kant asked Gonsalves if he had any reports on the condition of the Himalayas on the other side of the border where the Chinese have constructed buildings and establishments.

“The Chinese government is not known for protecting the environment. We will try and see if we can get any reports on what is the situation there,” Gonsalves said.

A High-Powered Committee, which was set up on the orders of the Supreme Court, is monitoring the Char Dham highway project on the widening of roads up to the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand.