Agitating locals stall Uttar Bharat project

The 18-Mw Uttar Bharat hydel project in Uttarakhand is facing the ire of the local people.

The locals seeking compensation have stalled the Phase II construction work on the project during the past four days by staging a dharna on the dam site, company officials said.

Uttar Bharat Hydro Power Ltd, a Delhi-based company, is building the project on the river Saryu near Kapkot in Bageshwar district. An investment of over Rs 200 crore is proposed in the project. Through this project, Uttar Bharat is entering into the power sector for the first time. The dam is being built in three stages in a cascading manner.

The locals have been demanding a compensation of Rs 5 lakh be given to the affected houses around the underground tunnel, which is being constructed as part of the run-of-the-river design. The company, however, claimed it has carried out a survey by IIT Roorkee, which found that no house in the area has been affected due to the blasting.

When contacted, Kapkot sub divisional magistrate Shiv Charan Dwivedi said the administration had launched efforts to end the stalemate. A fresh round of talks would also be held in a day or two to end the strike by the locals, Dwivedi said.

Uttar Bharat had already entered into an agreement with the locals on the issue of compensation. “We are ready to give compensation only in case some houses are damaged due to our tunnel,” a company official said.

In the past several hydel projects like THDC’s 1000 Mw Tehri, L&T’s 99 Mw Singoli Bhatwari, NTPC’s 600 Mw NTPC’s Lohari Nagpala, GVK’s 330 Mw Alaknanda project and others have come under fire.