Call for Transparency and Environmental Prudence
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 18 Jun: The proposed Rispana-Bindal Elevated Corridor — a massive infrastructure project estimated at RS 6250 crore — is drawing both curiosity and concern from residents across Dehradun. Touted by the State Government as a panacea for urban traffic congestion and a shortcut to Mussoorie, the project envisions a 26-kilometre network of elevated roads across the city, constructed over the fragile riverbeds of the Rispana and Bindal rivers. With pillars averaging 15 metres in height, the corridor threatens to permanently alter the city’s skyline and ecological fabric.
In response to growing public interest and unease, the Dehradun Citizens Forum convened a special Town Hall Meet under its Dehradun Dialogues series at The Doon Library. The event featured a detailed technical presentation by Jitendra Tripathi, Executive Engineer from the Public Works Department, along with representatives from Spectrum, the Government’s official consultancy firm. This fact-finding session marked a significant step toward opening a citizen-government dialogue on the ambitious elevated corridor project.
The event was attended by a diverse cross-section of citizens — engineers, doctors, scientists, environmentalists, educators, social workers, and professionals from sectors including tourism and information technology. The Dehradun Citizens Forum includes over 450 concerned residents of Dehradun united by a shared vision for sustainable and inclusive urban development.
Following the presentation, members of the forum engaged in a candid session of questions and answers. Several participants raised serious concerns regarding the environmental and social consequences of the project. A key demand was that the Environment Impact Assessment Report be made public to facilitate informed civic engagement and allow a thorough cost-benefit analysis.
While policy decisions underpinning the elevated corridor project remained outside the purview of the session, the forum concluded the dialogue by urging authorities to include citizen voices at the planning stage of such large-scale infrastructure initiatives. Forum members emphasised that urban schemes meant to ease public hardship must not be shaped in silos or imposed in a top-down manner.
Many participants also called for the rejuvenation of the Rispana and Bindal rivers to proceed independently of the corridor project, with a comprehensive understanding of ecological and social impacts. Since the participants did not look very convinced, the Public Works Department requested the Dehradun Citizens Forum to submit a consolidated note capturing citizen feedback at the conclusion of the dialogue.
