NEW DELHI:The Union government has received no proposal for environmental clearance for the Chardham Yatra Project and so the question of an environment impact assessment ( EIA ) study of such a project does not arise, government informed the National Green Tribunal ( NGT ) recently.The environment ministry was responding to a petition in NGT that has highlighted that the 900-km stretch project in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand hasn’t undergone any EIA. The ministry further added in its affidavit accessed by TOI that under EIA notification 2006, only new national highways and expansion of highways longer than 100 km need prior environmental clearance.While the environment ministry has claimed that no project by the name of Chardham Yatra has been received by them, a government press release of December 2016 on the laying of the foundation stone of the project called it the ‘Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojna’ — developing 900-km of highways in Uttarakhand at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore. Yet the need for the environment ministry is somehow not required.Here’s maybe why. The petitioners have alleged that government has broken up the 900-km long Chardham highway project into short stretches so that they do not invite an environmental assessment.Additional solicitor general (ASG), Atmaram NS Nadkarni during the hearings last week also submitted that entire length of the project is indeed about 889 km but “none of these works are continuous and are separated by 16 bypasses…”NGT bench took strong exception to this argument. “We argued that by not considering the project in its totality, they are virtually circumventing the provisions of EIA Act 2006. The bench said the argument was like saying there have been injuries caused to different body parts and not death of the person,” said advocate Sanjay Parikh who is representing the petitioners—Citizens of Green Doon.A final judgement in the case is expected soon. Nadkarni also submitted an affidavit that said that the Char Dham Yatra project is in “greater public interest” of pilgrims and not in commercial interest. It said that stage II forest clearance has been obtained only for three of the 24 proposals eligible for forest clearance.The total forest diversion involved is 508.66 ha of which the environment ministry has already approved diversion of 475.71 ha. “The petitioner tried to rely upon the total number of works that covers a length of 900 km. Indeed, if the entire length on all the six highways wherein works are going on in different places on different areas are added together it comes to 889 km…” the affidavit reads.It adds that only one portion is in an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), which is the Bhagirathi ESZ between Uttarkashi and Gangotri. Construction works haven’t started here because they are awaiting approvals from the environment ministry.