Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress leader Karan Singh have urged transport minister Nitin Gadkari and environment minister Bhupender Yadav to cancel forest clearances granted by the Uttarakhand government for the Netala bypass and Jhala–Jangla stretch in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, warning that the projects threaten disaster-prone terrain amid the state’s heightened vulnerability. The Bhagirathi river at Gangotri in Uttarkashi district. (HT File) They also demanded that all ongoing and proposed works in the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone be subjected to a fresh, cumulative environmental and disaster risk assessment. In a letter dated February 27, the two leaders, along with other leaders from Uttarakhand, flagged that infrastructure projects are being proposed and implemented without considering the altered terrain and associated risks, despite the state’s aggravated risk profile. “Chardham road-widening project in the state of Uttarakhand is being carried out on the same road-width standard that has already proven itself to be disaster-prone and unsafe…on one of the most critical stretches of this project – Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone, 2 packages have been cleared as part of …