Pancheshwar Dam is anti people, anti environment and anti civilization says Harish Rawat and Pradeep Tamta, MP

The massive dam to be built in Champawat in Uttarakhand on Saryu Maha Kali river is an invitation to a massive ecological tragedy in the offing which warrants immediate national and state level debate and discussions on widespread scale on its various socio economic, geo political, environmental, and security related aspects called Pancheswar Hydro Power Project to be constructed with the staggering cost of rupees 38000 crores likely to produce 4800 megawatt power, thus displacing about 32000 families and submerging about 132 villages, with 22 villages to be fully submerged.

These were the views of the former chief minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat while addressing a seminar at Uttarakhand Sadan, New Delhi as chief guest, organised by PANCHESHWAR BANDH PRABHAVIT SAMMITTEE who’s vollunteers came to Delhi to seek redressel from this impending imbroglio.

However, not outrightly clearing his stand on big dams to be constructed in Uttarakhand having allegedly already submitted an affidavit in the Apex court of India in favor of huge dams alongwith the BJP, the former CM Rawat lost no opportunity to castigate the union government to put the inhabitants of about 132 villages of three districts of Kumaon, Uttarakhand in acute financial and existential jeopardy by going forward with the Pancheshwar Dam project that would not only destabilise thousands of families but will also pose a massive and grave environmental danger and imbalance to(in)the entire Himalayan belt, particularly in view of the Champavat and its adjoining districts being in the high seismic Zone 4, where heavy and high magnitude tectonic upheavals can create ecological havoc at any point of time in the near future thus endangering the entire civilization.

Expressing his immense disenchantment over the so called Modi Magic in convincing the Nepal government to revitalise the Kali River treaty for the contruction of this huge 4800 megawatt capcity dam, which was in cold storage for the last several years, Harish Rawat said that this dam will not only completely destabilise the 32 thousand families of the three districts of Uttarakhand making them job less, shelterless and of nowhere, but will also create the gigantic problem of connectivity, immense ecological imbalance, loss of culture and tremendous pressure on the exchequer of the centre as well as the state as it will finally be the tax payers money that will be invested in this anti people dam.It may be recalled that out of the total 38000 crores expenditure, about 65% will be borne by the Indian government whereas Nepal will pay only 35% of the total cost.

While appealing to the lawmakers, particularly the members of parliament, across ideological and party lines to come together on one platform to save the likely victims of Uttarakhand likely to be submerged in this anti people dam, Harish Rawat also expressed the dire need for the detailed analysis on the likely negative impact on the scenerio of climate change which is already negatively impacting the the environment of the himalayas where glaciers are melting with high speed creating natural disasters such as the one happened in June 2013 killing thousands.

Rawat added that the government of the day should learn lessons from the Tehri Dam project of the nineties who’s implications are being felt and confronted by the displaced inhabitants even till date, after the 27 protracted years.

Harish Rawat said the questions of adequate compensation to the would be victims, there proper and adequate rehabilitation and other facets of the problems are still unanswered which need to be resolved forthwith before reaching to any definite conclusion of finally going ahead with the construction of this massive dam.

Harish Rawat said after the change of the government in Nepal and its pro China policy shift has also added more significance to the problem as expansioninst China and the current Nepal government (soft towards the dragons) would favor the Dam to be constructed at the earliest irrespective of the fact that more than 45 thousand people of both the nations are likely to be impacted by this massive dam. The increasing intervention of China in Nepal is also a matter of grave concern for India.

The Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Tamta expressed the urgent need to create a national movement against the big dams in the entire Himalayan belt and catagorically stated that he is against them, particularly Pancheshwar Dam, which will displace more than 32 thousand famlies and directly or indirectly affect 132 villages with 22 villages likely to be fully submerged.

He said the government of India is playing tricks and manipulations with the people likely to be displaced and has already earmarked merely 22 villages and about 1300 families to be compensated whereas the actual number of the affected families would go up to 32 thousand with the total village count to 132.

Tamta said that the time has come to stand united and fight against the onslaught of the dam and the powers that be as a huge danger of existence is in the offing. The construction of the dam will damage the entire forest area, the people and the civilisation and would immensely destroy the environment thus making the peoples’ future bleak from all angles added Tamta.

He said big dams are anti people and anti civilisation and should therefore be opposed tooth and nail.

The national spokes person of AAP Harish Awasthi appealed to the member of parliaments of Uttarakhand to raise the Pancheshwar Dam issue in both the houses of parliament and compel the government to revoke this anti people decision. He assured that he will approach the Delhi CM Arvind Kejrival and the recently elected Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to raise this important issue in parliament and other forums so as to create public awarness on a vast scale.

Prominent amongst those who spoke on this occassion were former MP Mahendra Singh Mahara, for DGP and retired IPS KS Jangpangi, Scientist Tiwariji, President of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum Sunil Negi, Jagdish Bhatt, journalist Data Ram Chamoli, Nandan Singh Rawat etc.
The meeting was ably conducted by Rajendra Joshi.

SUNIL NEGI , PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM