In a major decision which may be seen as a jolt to both the State and Central Governments, the High Court of Uttarakhand has ordered a stay on all the under construction hydro electric power projects in the State. The high court has further directed the District Magistrates to identity the power projects and facilitate dumping zones for disposal of debris and muck from the projects within eight weeks. Failing this, the District Magistrate concerned will be held responsible. In addition to this, earth material and stones should be not dumped within 500 metres of the highest point of a river’s flow, the court ordered.
According to the case details, the Rudraprayag based Himadri Jankalyan Samiti had filed a public interest litigation in the high court stating that the debris and muck from construction of hydro power projects on the Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers were being dumped by the companies concerned into the rivers which had affected the flow of the rivers. The petitioner had further stated that such dumping at times leads to creation of pools in the rivers which in turn fuels landslides in nearby areas. This was not only posing a threat to the environment but also increases the risk of flood and water logging during the rains, the petitioner stated.
In his reply during the hearing, the Rudraprayag district magistrate stated that dumping zones had been made during 2008 but these were washed away by the floods in 2013 and since then the dumping zones had not been made. After hearing the case, the High Court division bench of justice Rajiv Sharma and justice lokpal Singh ordered a stay on the under construction hydro power projects in the State.