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Panel to review Tehri dam

Apparently under pressure from the Sangh Parivar to abandon the Tehri dam, the Centre has set up a high-level committee to look into concerns expressed by it over the "self-purification quality" of river Ganga and the project's seismic safety in the wake of the Gujarat quake.

The 11-member committee, which has four members nominated by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and is headed by Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, would submit its report to the Centre within four weeks, VHP's senior vice-president Giriraj Kishore told reporters in New Delhi.

Work on the 2400-mw mega hydel project was suspended in the wake of VHP working president Ashok Singhal's threat to go on indefinite fast at the dam site from March 30.

Singhal had called off the threat following Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's assurance to VHP on setting up a committee. The constitution of the committee follows Singhal's renewed threat to go on fast unto death from Thursday.

This will be the third high-powered committee ever since the Tehri Hydel Project was visualised in the late 60s. Welcoming the panel's formation, Kishore said the VHP would abide by its findings.

The VHP under the banner of Ganga Raksha Samiti had been opposing the dam on the grounds that it would end the "sacredness and purity" of river Ganges revered by the Hindus. Over Rs 25 billion has already been spent on the Rs 50 billion project, which has also been opposed by environmentalists led by Sunder Lal Bahuguna.

PTI

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