CM not in favour of blanket ban on Hydel projects on Ganga

Doon will be developed as Green City: Nishank

Dehradun: Uttarakhand C. M. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today said that he was not in favour of a blanket ban on new Hydro Power projects on the Ganga between Uttarkashi and Gangotri. Nishank made it clear that he did not agree with the reported statement of the Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh that there should not be any hydel projects on Ganga beyond Uttarkashi.
The CM recalled that he had already spoken about this with the Prime Minister and had made it clear that Uttarakhand would have to be compensated in case the Centre decided against more projects on the Ganga upstream of Uttarkashi. “I, too, sincerely want that the sanctity of the Ganga remain intact and its flow also remains unhindered. Ganga is no ordinary river and, now, having become a national heritage, concerns expressed in its regard have to be respected. However, I believe that it is possible to run at least some of the projects on the Ganga without compromising with either its sanctity or its continuous flow.”
Nishank admitted that the water level in several rivers across the state, including the Ganga had come down significantly. However, he added, “The minimum water flow from the Ganga is 15 cusecs in the winter, which goes up to beyond 250 cusecs during summer and monsoon months. What to do with the excess water? We would like to make full use of excess water discharge during some months each year.”