Context: Recently, the Uttarakhand State Wildlife Advisory Board has permitted proposals on the transfer of forest land in Gangotri National Park for development of roads.
Key Points

• The wildlife clearance proposal has been given for three roads passing through Gangotri National Park which includes an 11.85 km long road from Sumla to Thangla for which transfer of 30.39 hectares of forest land was approved.
• The second road is a 6.21 km long road from Tripani to Rangmachagar for which transfer of 11.218 hectares of forest land was approved.
• The third road is a 17.60 km long road from Mandi to Sangchokla for which transfer of 31.76 hectares of forest land was approved.
• The road proposals include preserving the Gartang Gali road in the Uttarkashi district, an ancient road between India and Tibet.
• These proposals will now be sent to National Board for Wildlife for final approval.

Significance

• These roads are important from the national security point of view as they connect the base camps of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) set up near China border in Uttarkashi district.
• Under these proposals, a total of 73.36 hectares of forest land at three different sites of Gangotri National Park will be required to be transferred for construction of separate roads, totalling 35.66 km in length.
• Gangotri National Park is a protected area and forest land chosen is near the international border with China.
• These routes are very important for national security because they will make the movement of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel near the China border far easier.
• Now, the proposals regarding the land transfer for these roads will be sent to the National Wildlife Board.

Challenges

• As per the state government, the area where the roads will be constructed is at a height of 15,000 feet from sea level and have complete barren lands with no trees.
• But experts fear that for the construction of roads, agencies might have to opt for blasting, which will disturb the mountains and can trigger tremendous landslides.
• If motorable roads are made at such places without giving importance to the ecological effect and a landslide occurs, then the road will be blocked.
• These areas are part of the catchment area for the Indo-Gangetic plains, which is home to 40% of India’s population.
• If the ecology of such an area is disturbed, then the impact percolates down to other states also.

About Gangotri National Park

• It is located in the in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand.
• Gangotri National Park established in 1989.
• It is located in the upper catchment of Bhagirathi River.
• The Gaumukh glacier, the origin of river Ganga, is located inside the park. 
• The park area forms a viable continuity between Govind National Park and Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary. 
• The park is home to the snow leopard blue sheep, Himalayan Tahr, musk deer and snow leopard etc.

About Indo-Tibetan Border Police

• One of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), it was raised on 24th October 1962.
• ITBP is deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 km of Sino-India Border.
• ITBP is a specialized mountain force and most of the officers and men are professionally trained mountaineers and skiers.
• Being the first responder for natural disasters, ITBP has been carrying out numerous rescue and relief operations across the country.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
• In November 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed to merge the Assam Rifles with the ITBP.