VHP seeks complete ban on hydel projects on Bhagirathi

Buoyed by the central government's decision to scrap two hydel dams on Bhagirathi in Uttarakhand, VHP has demanded a complete ban on other such projects on the holy river, including NTPC's 600 MW Loharinag Pala.      

"To maintain the uninterrupted flow of the Bhagirathi river, it is necessary to ban all hydel projects," VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia said at a press conference here last night.
     
VHP, which held its two-day "Dharma Sansad" at Haridwar, has also threatened to launch an agitation over the issue.
    
"The Bhagirathi is the lifeline of India. We must maintain sanctity of the river," Togadia said.
    
Significantly, VHP's statement came two days after senior BJP leader LK Advani, who was on a visit to Uttarakhand to participate in a clean Ganga campaign, also said in unequivocal terms that the sanctity of the Bhagirathi should be maintained at all cost suggesting a ban on hydel projects on the river.
    
Nishank had earlier on an occasion described the Centre's decision to scrap the two hydel projects as "illegal and arbitrary" claiming only the Ganga River Basin Authority was authorised to take a final decision on the issue.
    
At the centre of controversy are three hydel projects - NTPC's 600 MW Loharinag Pala, 480 MW Pala Maneri and 381 MW Bhairongathi, both being developed by the state-owned Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited.