(Query received over email from Gautam)
We concerned citizens of Uttarakhand having very high stake in hydropower projects wish to bring to your kind notice with great dissatisfaction the working of National Ganga Basin River Authority (NGBRA) and also bring to your kind notice on the petition of RLEK, the Hon’ble High Court of Uttarakhand vide their order dated 26th February 2009 of Justice Prafulla Pant and Justice B.S. Verma clearly passed the order to continue Loharinag Pala Hydroelectric
Project-“Having heard and learned counsel for the parties on an interim measure, it is directed that the impugned on dated 19th February 2001 by
which the work of Loharinag Pala Barrage on Bhagirathi river is suspended , shall not be acted upon until further orders of this court”.
Keeping in mind the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s assurance through the parliament to the entire country to fulfill the national mission to provide electricity to each household by the year 2012. Even after winning the case in the High Court, RLEK requested the court to refer the matter of the hydroelectric project of state owned Palamaneri (480MW), Bhairoghati (381MW) and centre owned Loharinag Pala (600MW) to the NGBRA.
Not only that a Group of Minister (GoM) under the Chairmanship of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee; the then finance minister, Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde; the Power
Minister and Mr. Jairam Ramesh; MoS of IC ,Environment and Forestry in the meeting held on the 8th July 2010,took the decision on the stalled Loharinag
Pala hydro electric project –“In view of the fact that substantial work on the project has already been done and significant expenditure incurred, it was decided that this project may be allowed to continue”.
Supreme Court also in one of the hydropower projects stated as on order dated 31-01-2012 under Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Hon’ble Mr.
Justice Dipak Misra- “We make it clear that the construction of the dam may go on without any hindrance however, during the interregnum period, public
hearing by the ministry of Environment And Forest as directed by the high court, shall remain stayed”.
There are many other hydropower projects also which are being constructed with all mandatory clearances and started working, many of them have given a lot of employment to the local people but have been stopped by the Centre bowing to political and religious pressures which has resulted in great suffering not only to Uttarakhand but the entire northern India including Delhi. It is ironical that these states are facing an acute shortage of electricity while the power projects of the state are being abandoned under the pressure of Prof.G.D Agarwal, Rajendra Singh and sadhus with no adequate knowledge of the area. Many of these projects were ready to generate electricity by 2012-2013 to fulfill their national mission to provide electricity to each household.
Similarly, Srinagar Hydel Power Project (330 MW), which is 80% complete also faces closure, which would have started producing electricity by 2012-13. In
total, these hydel power projects would produce more than the required electricity and would led to reduction in power cuts in Uttarakhand and even
neighboring Delhi.
Now, G.D. Agarwal, Rajendra Singh and Uma Bharti and all top BJP bosses are ascertaining that a small Dhari Devi temple near Srinagar will be submerged
while it is being lifted entirely and put at the bank of the river Ganga after spending crores of rupees. Dhari Devi Temple is a local temple and the priests along with Dhari Devi Temple Committee as well as local people have given their consent to lift this temple on 14th October, 2006. As well as the government
gave its consent vide their Letter No 1263/I(2)/2009-04(8)/06/2003 dated 12th June, 2009 to lift the temple. The above mentioned opponents who have no
faith in this temple are trying to make a big fuss. That is the reason why Agarwal and Singh were thrashed by the local villagers as well as those unemployed people by the stalling of these projects. Some of the villagers are ready to even commit suicide if these projects are not immediately started. In 2009, G.D.Agarwal and Rajinder Singh were chased away by the villagers in Uttarkashi under heavy police escort and then they misinformed through the paid media and to the PMOthat the villagers are against these hydropower projects.
We are shocked that in spite of the Hon’ble High Court and Supreme Court orders and also the decision of the group of ministers (GoM) the hydropower
projects have been stalled only because of the political and religiousblackmailing by those who have no stake and knowledge. We are also deeply shocked and hurt that after losing in the High Court, Rajendra Singh etc manipulated their entry in the Ganga Basin River Authority and 6 special invitees as nominated by sadhus were called every time as a special invitees. Not only that, but in the 3rd meeting of the National Ganga Basin River Authority 7 sadhus were also invited as special invitees and after listening to only one bias side these hydropower projects have been stalled resulting in much suffering not only to Uttarakhand but the entire northernIndia including New Delhi because of the interrelated problems of electricityand water.We have requested you many times either scrap Ganga Basin Authority orreconstitute the same so that NGRBA may take balanced decisions. Unfortunately even in the IMG you have put Rajendra Singh, Sunita Narayan, Veerbhadra Mishra who possess no technical or local knowledge. We request you to kindly listen to the public.
Even Sonia Gandhi in Uttarkashi in state election 2012 very clearly assured that if Congress party wins she will see to it that all hydropower projects are restarted with immediate effect.
Similarly Wildlife Institute Of India (WII) report has wrongly mentioned about the wrong effect on survival of fishes. Everyone is aware that neither fishes
are counted as wildlife nor the hydropower projects are a danger for them. Tehri hydro power project is an example of how the fish production has increasedbecause of the hydropower projects. We are also shocked that WII without any mandate had suggested that 300 MW Alaknanda Badrinath hydropower project of GMR should be rejected. The WII were not mandated that which hydro power project should be continued or stalled. In the same way, the report from the reputed institute IIT Roorkee is very balanced but Rajendra Singh and his company is trying to even criticize the IIT Roorkee’s report.
We appeal to you, WII which has become white elephant of the country should not be part of any group or study. Infact there should be a separate C.B.I inquiry on how the WII are misusing the funds and trying to copy and submit these misleading studies without any homework.
We are further shocked that Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) set up by you through and OM (F No B-12014/412-NMCG/NBRA) dated 15th June 2012 under the chairmanship of Mr. B.K Chaturvedi has also a group of same biased people who have no local or technical knowledge.
We request you to either drop Rajendra Singh, Sunita Narayan, Veerbhadra Mishra who have been made IMG’s members or include atleast 6 people with the consultation of the state government for a balanced and unbiased report.
We further request you to either scrap NGBRA or reconstitute the same.
We are highly frustrated with your decisions and actions and for the last time request you to reconstitute this IMG so that the group may give a balanced recommendation. Else we would have no option but to come out on the streets and go to the Supreme Court for redressal and contempt case against the government.
Yours Sincerely,
Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson Rural Litigation & Entitlement Kendra (RLEK)-09358101392
Lt. General H.B. Kala, Uttarakhand Ex-servicemen League (UESL)-09760224439
Padam Shri Leeladhar Jagoodi, Writer/Poet- 09411733588
Rajendra Todaria, Uttarakhand Jan Manch-09411113993
Hemchandra Saklani, Writer-09412931781
Prof. Aditya Narain Purohit, Former Vice-Chancellor of H.N.B. Garhwal University-09412058572
Ravindra Silwaal, Adyaksh Srinagar Chauras Jal Vidyut Pariyojana Prabhavit Sangarsh Samiti-09412961167
Diwakar Bhatt, Seemant Kshetra Pariyojna Bacho Sangharsh Samiti-09412082444
Jagdamba Parsaad Hatwal, Adyaksh Pariyojna Bachao Sangarsh Samiti, Peepalkoti-09760207819
Prof. Dhirendra Sharma (Science Policy Research Centre) - 0989788 3741
Trivendra Panwar, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal-0941254197
J.P Pandey, Uttarakhand Kranti Manch-09412074476
Vishveshwar Prasad Pandey, Adyaksh Dhari Devi Mandir Samiti-0991778009
Sajjan Singh Bhawdi, Vyapaar Sang-08006512797
Shaila Rani Rawat, MLA Kedarnath-09456590865
Sushila Baluni, Mahila Aayog Uttarakhand-0941205551
Uttarakhand Rajya Nirman Senani Manch
Senior Citizens of Uttarakhand