Uttarakhand HC puts stay on dams, roads construction along river banks

Dehradun, June 12: The High Court has banned the hydropower project under construction in Uttarakhand. The court has taken this decision on throwing the river in the debris and not disposing of it scientifically.

 

The Hemadri Janakalyana Committee filed a public interest petition in the High Court demanding the construction companies in the Mandakini River to deposit the debris scientifically and preventing the river's environmental impact.

The Bench of senior Judge Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Lokpal Singh has stayed the power project and asked the District Magistrates to ensure that everybody throws impactive debris 500 meters away from the danger mark of river bank.

Advocate Kartikeya Hari Gupta said that these companies were throwing debris in the river instead of dumping zones. The decision of the court has prevented the construction of power projects of the entire state.

On Monday, the court also directed the concerned agencies to ensure a “minimum 15 per cent flow of water immediately downstream of the weir, barrage, or dam.”

Hydroelectric power projects of upto 2,000 MW are currently under construction in Uttarakhand. Keeping in mind the 2013 situations of the state, High Court directed not to harm the river in any manner which can ultimately have an impact on the environment.