A sudden eviction notice to the people of Tehri town, warning of an imminent flooding, has incensed the public
FOR Tehri townsfolk, May proved to be
the cruellest month, beginning with
confusion and protests. The prevailing
mood is that of widespread scepticism
about eviction notices that came as a
bolt from the blue, warning of inundation of the town.
So, with a mere 13 per cent voter
turnout for the Lok Sabha polls on
May 2 due to an Uttarakhand movement-sponsored boycott, the anti-Tehri
dam meet attended by Medha Patkaf
and Sunderlal Bahuguna found a warm
support. "Koi nahin hatega (nobody
shall budgeb" the crowd boomed.
Eviction possibility, however,
seemed inevitable. On March 23,
notices signed by the state chief secretary were issued to schools and offices,
citing June 30 as the deadline for vacating Tehri town, or else face inundation
during monsoon.
The kneejerk decision which came
in the case of this more than two-decade
old controversial project instead of the
fulfillment of last year's commitment to
"look afresh" into the issue (Down To
Earth, Vol 4, No 4), has created much
resentment. This spurred the Sarvodaya
leader Sunderlal Bahuguna to go on a
fast of'penance' on April 13.
The official explanation for the sudden eviction notice is that the coffer
dam - the structure in front of the
main dam meant to protect it from
water - has reached an altitude of 650
m, that is, 10 m above the altitude of the
Tehri town. As a result, the dam's twin
diversion tunnels may be incapable of
taking the load off, and cause inundation.
Says sub-divisional magistrate A S
Tiwari, "Shifting is inevitable. We are
cajoling people by offering incentives;
we may have to push a little." The Tehri
Hydel Development Corporation
(THDC) commenced action on "warfooting". Last month, its personnel trucked
out lock stock and barrel the All Saints
Convent School to the New Tehri township which is a good 20 km uphill
drive.
Says M P S Tyagi, general manager
(project), THDC, "Right from 1991 we
have given compensations." However, a
new package, offering the option of a
0.81 ha plot to oustee families came into
effect only in October 1995. Says
Tyagi, "Eviction is a technical necessity.
If the court decides against it, then we
will not be responsible for possible
flooding."
The protest march of May 3 against
the autho6ties' decision saw supporters
of various hue. Says Kamal Singh of the
dam-affected Asena village, "The dam
people have been quarrying from the
hills above my village. But we have
blockaded the roads and stopped them."
Medha Patkar, who arrived in Tehri
hills to bolster th agitation, says she is
determined to organise a mass support
for the anti-dam campaign.
Another source of support was the
Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh
Parivar. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad
supremo Ashok Singhal recently
appealed to the authorities for the
"uninterrupted flow of the holy Ganga".
Says Bahuguna, "We are trying to create
consensus on this issue. So support
from anybody is welcome."
Anti-Tehri dam activists are now
planning a battle on various fronts.
Apart from the inadequacy of the dam's
risk calculation, its rehabilitation policy
which does not stick strictly to the land-
to-land policy, leaves ample scope for a
stringent opposition.
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