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Politics of hydro projects on river Ganga hit Uttarakhand
New Delhi, January 20, 2012: Politics over hydro projects on tributaries of river Ganga is heating up
with former Indian Institute of Technology professor G D Aggarwal sitting on a fast-unto-death demanding scrapping of eight projects on
these rivers. Environment ministry has already decided that no new projects would be approved on tributaries ---
Mandakani, Alakananda, Bhagirathi and Aasi Ganga --- but the activists having support of
various Hindu groups have demanded scrapping all on-going projects.
Hydro-projects on river Ganga had been a sensitive political issue in
the Himalayan state going to polls on January 30. Both Congress and BJP
have opposed hydro projects in the upper Ganga basin but refused to scrap all on going projects citing huge investments already been made.
The Central government had scrapped two projects of National Thermal
Power Corporation (NTPC) in Uttarakhand under pressure from Aggarwal.
But, the environment ministry's approval to Chamoli hydro project despite concerns raised by a statutory advisory body has triggered the
latest round of protests.
Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has now held back the approval
given to the project but the activists believe election is the right
time to seek commitment from Congress and BJP on scrapping of the ongoing projects.
"We have no option other than to protest. We may not have crowd to influence the government but has strong faith to have an impact,"
Aggarwal said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Aggarwal had
earlier sat on fast leading to Singh declaring Ganga as a national river
and setting up an authority to protect it.
Aggarwal and his supports believe the authority has failed to implement
its mandate and was trying to promote hydro-projects which could destroy
ecology of the Himalayan belt. He has been fasting for the last five
days in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and will shift to Haridwar (Uttarakhand) in last week of January. Aggarwal wants PM to issue
direction to stop these projects. Source: Hindustan Times
Government not doing enough to save Ganga: Shankaracharya
THANE, January 16, 2012: Shankaracharya Swarupanand Saraswati
on Sunday lashed out at the UPA government for "failing" to protect the Ganga from pollution and said it was giving undue
importance to the Anna Hazare-led anti- corruption campaign.
"Undue importance was being given to the agitation by Anna Hazare , while the most
important issue of conservation of the Ganga has been pending for years," he said here.
"This one man held the entire country to ransom and even the government
fell for him," the seer said, apparently referring to the 74-year-old
social activist. "People in media have glorified him. You (media) have great powers in
your hands and can do a bit for the sake of the Ganga," the Shankaracharya of Jyotish and Dwarka Sharda Peeth said.
The pontiff said he had written a letter to Prime Minister Man mohan
Singh ,requesting him to take up the issue of 'Save Ganga' seriously.
The seer said he would adopt all possible methods of non-violence to
achieve his goal of protecting the holy river and tour the entire country for the sake of his cause.
It was unfortunate that the Ganga, which flows through five states, has
become totally polluted. More than 35 crore people reside on the banks
of the river. Even the areas near the Ganga are totally polluted as water percolates and enters resources like wells and ponds, he said.
The government of Uttarakhand, from where the Ganga originates, has also
failed to save the river. Ganga should be declared as the national river so that it
can be preserved and protected properly, he said. |
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