By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The beauty of Jhala-Harsil-Bhaironghati belt in the Garhwal Himalayas lies in its tall deodar trees. But environmentalists claim that the government is going ahead with its plan to axe 6000-10,000 deodar trees there for the widening of the Chardham All-Weather Highway project.
After a gap of many years, the campaign to save deodar trees has gained momentum in Harsil, a paradise for nature lovers falling under the Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand.
With the RSS activists also chipping in, the campaign has attracted the nation-wide attention with scores of people from different places in the country on Sunday tying raksha sutras or security threads around the deodar trees which are proposed to be felled for the widening of the controversial highway project.
According to top environmentalist Suresh Bhai, nearly 6000 deodar trees are likely to be felled for the purpose of the widening of the highway between Jhala and Bhairon Ghati in Uttarkashi. A similar campaign was launched in 2017-18 against the widening of the highway. Actually, the Harsil campaign to save deodar trees is in continuation of the earlier movement which was launched in 2016-17, said Ayush Joshi, who spearheaded the campaign in Harsil.
Former Union Ministers M M Joshi and Dr Karan Singh have made a passionate appeal to save the trees in the eco-sensitive zone which was notified in 2012 in the wake of an agitation against the construction of three big hydel projects on the Bhagirathi river.
The Raksha Sutra campaign has been organized in Harsil area twice before under the leadership of Suresh Bhai to save the deodar trees with the support of Basanti Negi, former head of Harsil village, Mohan Singh Rana, an ex-serviceman from Sukhi village, Glacier Lady Shanti Thakur, and mountaineer Dr. Harshwanti Bisht.
Renowned social worker Radha Behan had also visited Sukhi village in 2017 to protect the cedar trees that were being proposed to be felled for the highway widening.
Close to Harsil lies Dharali where the flash floods in Kheergaad on Aug 5 brought massive destruction killing over 150 people. Most of the bodies are still lying under the debris, said Col Ajay Kothiyal, a BJP leader.
Hundreds of people who came to Harsil also heard a message from Dr Joshi, who congratulated them for tying threads around the trees. Describing the Himalayas as father and India as mother, Dr Joshi said the people can protect both mother and father by ensuring the continued flow of the Ganga which is crucial to save the deodar trees.
Suresh Bhai, who is considered the father of the Raksha Sutra movement, has appealed to Dr Joshi and Dr Karan Singh to hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue. “These cedar trees protect our glaciers, Ganga and the Himalayas in a big way. If we ignore the important of deodar trees, it will threaten the entire ecology of the Himalayas,” said Suresh Bhai.
Meanwhile, a group of local people in Dharali have voiced their opposition against the campaign saying the development is need of the hour.