Echoing environmental concerns against the proposed Rs 2,356 crore Chenab-Beas tunnel hydro power project, the Save Lahaul Society has demanded that the government reconsider the project in the interest of the local residents and the fragile ecology.
“This project could prove disastrous for the entire region, including the entire fragile area of Lahaul and, along the flow of the Beas, Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, and Punjab,” said BS Rana, President of the Save Lahaul Society. Otherwise the residents will be compelled to launch an agitation against the environmentally degrading project, he warned.
He said the reports that this project is a response to Pakistan’s violent activities on the western border is even more worrisome. “We deeply disagree with this model of indiscriminate development, and such a step adopted in response to violence or terrorism from the Pakistan side appears completely immature. In the name of protecting man-made national borders, we cannot permit ourselves to tamper with or act cruelly toward nature and the natural course of creation,” he lamented.
He also expressed resentment against such a strategy in developing the border areas, which he added was even more inhumane and inappropriate.
Rana said as per reports, the project will generate 4,000 MW of power and the water of the Chandra River will be diverted into the Beas River. “As we know, the land on both sides of the Pir Panjal is extremely fragile from an environmental perspective and has become highly prone to landslides and soil erosion over the past four years. In such a situation, this project could prove disastrous for the entire region,” said Rana.
