Dehradun, Dec. 25 -- Several environmental and social organisations in Dehradun on Wednesday demanded the immediate cancellation of the forest clearance granted for felling thousands of trees within the Bhagirathi Eco-Sensitive Zone. A joint delegation representing Citizens for Green Doon, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, and Making a Difference met senior officials of the regional office of the Ministry of Environment in Dehradun and the state forest department to submit a memorandum opposing the 'in-principle' approval granted to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on November 12. According to the activists, the project involves the diversion of 42 hectares of reserve forest near the Gangotri Glacier and requires the felling of 6,675 trees, including 4,070 ecologically significant deodars. They alleged that the proposal violates a 2020 Supreme Court undertaking that limited the road width to 5.5 metres, whereas the current design extends to 10 metres, threatening "irreversible and irreparable damage" to the fragile Himalayan landscape. The memorandum stated that the approval dated November 12, 2025, permits the BRO to divert 42 hectares of forest land to widen a 20-km stretch of road. "The BRO had previously proposed a road width of 5.5 metres, but they are now proceeding with a 10-metre design. This directly contradicts the submissions made before the Hon'ble Supreme Court in 2020," it read, adding that such extensive diversion would severely harm the ecosystem surrounding the Gangotri Glacier....