Hydro-power projects are the backbone of any civilisation — storing water for irrigation, municipal water supplies and industry, labour orientation, generating power, flood control recreation navigation-river rafting etc, fish production and road bridges. Most importantly they provide employment to the people,” said Rural litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RlEK) chairperson Avadhash Kaushal.
He further appealed to BJP leaders, who have been creating hurdle Srinagar hydropower project by raising Dhari Devi temple issue, not to indulge in anti-development activities otherwise they will have to face similar fate as in general election-2009.
BJP and its ally — the so called Vishva Hindu Parishad should immediately stop misleading people about Srinagar Alaknanda Hydro Power project and not indulge in false propaganda. Whenever elections are near they start raising the issues such as Ram mandir, Aviral dhara of Ganga and Dharidevi temple and try unsuccessfully to mislead people.
Ex Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Uma Bharati should know that it was during the BJP regime, when Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri was Chief Minister, letter number 1263/1(2) 2009-04 (8) 06/2003 was sent permitting the upliftment of Dhari Devi. Even the managing committee of Dhari devi temple gave its consent in writing vide letter dated 14th Oct 2006 after consulting the villagers to go ahead and uplift the temple, the villagers said, “We do not want to live in darkness neither does the Goddess wants us to remain in dark”.
In a similar way, during BJP rule itself the three hydro projects namely Bhairon Ghati (381 MW) and Pala Maneri (480MW) that are fully owned by Uttarakhand were stalled vide the letter number 140/PS/camp/2008, dated June 19, 2008 this was done after spending of hundreds of crores of poor man’s money. Not only that they put moral and immoral pressure on central government to stall lohari Nagapala (600 MW). All these hydro projects were almost ready and would have started to produce electricity by 2012. Their anti-State, anti-social and anti-people action against the development resulted in huge suffering without electricity by the entire north India.
The destruction did not stop here, because of stalling the projects which were based on run off the river and were tunnel based, people of Uttarkashi suffered huge losses of life and properties during the last monsoon due to landslides and muck coming in the river and it is going to be far worse this year. This clearly shows the BJP leadership’s attitude towards the development of the State. All the five lok Sabha seats were lost due to their anti-people and anti- development stand and not because people were happy with Congress. It is unfortunate that the construction of almost all hydro projects in Uttarakhand is withheld on account of whimsical issues of fishes, Aviral Dhara jeopardizing the economical & social development of the State.
Production of hydro-power does not consume one single drop of water as it falls on the turbine and again joins the mainstream of Ganga of course water is consumed by agriculture. No single field from Gomukh to Haridwar in Uttarakhand is being irrigated by Ganga water because it flows so deep. Ganga water for irrigation is consumed beyond Haridwar into Uttar Pradesh for irrigation.