Another Tragedy Raises Ire at Hydropower Projects in Himachal Pradesh 03/07/2021
A bird’s eye view of the Parbati II project along the river Sainj, Kullu. Image: Google Earth
The village of Palgi is mourning 27-year-old Amar Chand. He died on May 21 in an accident inside a tunnel at the 800 MW Parbati II hydroelectric project (HEP), where he was working. The project is being built in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, in Kullu district, where Palgi village is also located. Three other people died in the same accident; they were from Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, Darjeeling in West Bengal, and Nepal.
Mandi, February 9
Apprehending an Uttarakhand-like catastrophe, residents of Lahaul-Spiti district have raised their pitch against the proposed hydel projects in the ecologically fragile Chenab river basin.
Himachal has allocated several power projects in the Chenab basin to prominent companies like the SJVNL, NHPC, HPCL and NTPC. In addition, several hydropower projects are in the pipeline for Tandi, Rashil, Bardang, Miyar and Jispa in Lahaul-Spiti. Petrified by the Chamoli mishap, residents of Tandi and Goshal panchayats held a meeting to oppose the proposed projects on the Chenab banks. Tandi panchayat pradhan Virender Kumar said: “We oppose the decision of the government to set up power projects in Lahaul-Spiti as it will adversely affect the ecology of the area. We have passed a resolution against the Tandi project.”
1101
Mandi, January 10
Residents of Lahaul and Spiti district are opposing the setting up of power projects on the Chenab.
Rigzin Heyreppa, social activist and president of the Jispa Dam Sangharsh Samiti, told The Tribune that despite opposition from the people of Lahaul and Spiti, the state government is planning to set up power projects on the Chenab. There is a proposal to construct a dam for a 300 MW power project at Jispa village in the Lahaul valley, which would lead to the displacement of a large number of families from the area. “We, the tribal people of this valley, located along the banks of the Chandrabhaga river and its several glacial tributaries flowing freely in the upper Chenab belt, have been opposing the construction of over 12 mega hydropower projects proposed here in 2010. These projects were allotted to various private companies which are said to have given them up stating that these were economically not viable, technically not feasible and ecologic