Jammu-Akhnoor road expansion impacting environment

Raghav Bakshi
When humans destroy something built by humans, we call it vandalism and when we destroy something of nature we call it progress
-ED Begly JR
The expansion of Akhnoor highway has caused many negative effects on the nature and people around.The govt seems sleeping to all the insensitivities and issues that have sprung up due to this project.
There are three issues which merit discussion.
The first and foremost is the effect on environment and nature .Now the 22 kms stretch from Jammu to Akhnoor was scenic in a way that it was lined mostly with eucalyptus trees from Jammu to Akhnoor .In addition to scenic beauty these large trees provided shade in sweltering heat of summer to passerbyes which is otherwise unendureable. I myself have stopped several times in summer under those trees to get brief relief from the sultriness.A rough conjecture reveals that more than 1500 trees have to be cut down for the project. Now ,on an average a tree produces 260 pounds of oxygen in a year meaning 1500*260 less pounds of oxygen per year .Can we afford this not wihstanding the effect of booming pollution due to incremental increase in no of vehicles?
The trees are being cut relentlesly and are being shipped away possibly for production of timber/firewood/pulpwood and is being seen by authorities as mere source of revenue generation.All that is left now is the uprooted roots of the trees and fallen branches that once stood as a barrier to the direct sunlight and scorching loo that flows in the area in summer .The environmental impact assessment that is to be mandatorily done before any project seems to have neglected this.
The next is the effect on health of the passerbyes and people living in adjacent areas. The exercise of road widening has resulted in heaps of trash,soil and debris being put anywhere and everywhere along the way. The resulting dust has bombarded the houses and business establishments along the highway.The most effected ones are the 2 wheeler riders and pedestrians .It has already been established that the accumulation of dust in the lungs lead to respiratory diseases and even mortality in humans. The Government’s oversight of this shows lackadaisical approach on behalf of authorities .Huge projects like these should inculcate the effects of these projects on the human health and should incorporate measures to tackle this eg covering of debris ,dust suppression techniques ,stabilisation techniques etc. As the project is being undertaken night and day the noise created by this also presents as a problem , disturbing the ambient surroundings and people living in the vicinity.The major projects being taken up in other developed nations takes this into consideration and uses technologies for noise reduction and supression.Due to the ongoing project there are also frequent traffic jams due to which the passengers are stuck for hours exposing them to the dust flying around.
The third is the effect on business establishments and houses on the way.The project will entail displacement of hundreds of people whose houses are near the highway . The people displaced are unable to get houses elsewhere as there is dearth of places available for purchase or for rent.I personally saw people crying over demolishing of their houses .The project disregarded the emotions of the people attached with their houses and there was nothing done for their settlement elsewhere.
The business establishments on the side of the roadway are lifelines of some people and their families whose only source of income is these shops/establishments
The compensation offered is a mockery of the suitable compensation offered by Indian legal system .
And amid the claims that this project will lead to reduced congestion ,an international study revels that Increased road expansion incentivises people to purchase cars and use roads to a greater degree than previously. This increased use results in further degradation of the roads, leading to higher maintenance costs. Increased vehicle and road use leads to more accidents, particularly in regions where roads are poor quality and motor vehicle use is relatively novel.More roads results in more traffic, due to induced demand, further increasing the rate of road degradation. As such, economic appraisals of road projects in developing countries often find that improving existing road infrastructure is more beneficial than construction of new road infrastructure.
A good Government is that which before doing something at a scale like this should invite people that will be most affected by the project to dialogue and after proper discussions and delibrations goes ahead with the project . The present administration seems not to care for the people effected . More rigorous approaches to project assessment and planning, such as alternatives, cost-benefit analyses, proactive land-use planning, social impacts and strategic environmental-impact assessments for the upgradation of existing road infrastructure should have been done. The project seems to have instilled more vexation among the people than the optimism for the development.
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