Marking a year of the Uttarakhand deluge, activists and affected locals observed a 24-hour fast in Srinagar for the rights of the disaster-affected people of the State. The fast concluded on Monday.
The fast was observed in Srinagar, in Pauri district. Members representing Vishnuprayag Baandh Aapda Sangh, Assi Ganga Baandh Aapda Prabhavit Samiti, Srinagar Baandh Aapda Prabhavit Samiti, Matu Jansangathan, Bhuvisthapit Sangharsh Samiti, and Bhuswami Sangharsh Samiti participated in the fast. Most of the organisations were formed after the June 2013 deluge to fight for the rights of the disaster-affected people.
Several cases have been filed in various courts against the hydroelectric power project companies as the affected have demanded a compensation for the role of HEPs in exacerbating the deluge.
Vimal Bhai,convenor of Matu Jansangthan , an organisation that works on dam- related issues said, “Much of the muck deposited in the river beds of the Alaknanda and some other rivers is from the hydroelectric power project sites. The government did not take any action against it.”
“The HEP firms are not ready to compensate for the losses incurred by the residents because of their acts,” Vimal Bhai added.
A case was filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) demanding compensation for the residents of Srinagar for the damage of assets thatAHPCL project allegedly caused during the mid-June deluge last year and filled much of Srinagar with muck, silt, and debris.
The people on fast demanded that tonnes of muck deposited in the areas in Srinagar, downstream of the AHPCL project must be removed.
Raza Abbas, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Srinagar, said, “The dumping sites of AHPCL got swept away with the flash floods last year. There is no doubt that the same muck got deposited in the buildings downstream of the project. However,the people of Srinagar have not received any compensation from the project authorities yet.”
