Just an eye witness or what I felt from the heart....

Update-7-12-2001

Just an eye witness or what I felt from the heart………………

Some time history repeats itself. In the notion of modern development same things happened in Tehri town.

Now the Tehri town is surrounded by water. Tunnel 3&4 is now closed. People are not afraid but they are sorrowful & sad as some of their family member had died. Some shops of essential things as Medical store, vegetables, Photostat, STD booth are opened.

These shops are mostly on roads Bus stand is tattered. After a day long agitation on 7-12-2001 people were able to stopped shifting of Telephone exchange. D.M. agreed to meet people in old Tehri Town.

• People’s meeting with D.M. on 6th Dec.

This meeting held at Sateshwere Tample at 12 o’clock in old Tehri Town. Were on 5^th November central Power minister and Chief minister promised with people -- I would talk with central and state govt. on rehabilitation issue. Then district administration postponed the date of closing the gate of tunnel No, 3 and 4.

Along with D.M. official of Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd. ( THDC), S.P. city, officers of PWD and rehabilitation director Sh. S.N. Negi were also present.

• D.M. promised to provide water, electricity and phone facility to the city.

Now the river water flows through T-2 on 6th Dec. Water level raised-up till T-1 and T-2 only. People demanded that T-1 should be open so that the water level of reservoir will go down and City Bridge will be safe. D.M. also promised to open that but administration will allow only people to use the bridge not the vehicles. There is one suggestion came from the public side THDC can give a way form the coffer Dam side. But THDC is not ready for this. Also D.M. do not want to give more advantage.

• Dalits were the first paying person

The worst conditions are of the Dalits who are residing on the bank of Bhilangna On4th of Dec they got the notice that they have to shift from there along with their household till 5.12,2001 by 6 O’clock. These families are either cleaning worker in MCD or in private. Some families run their earning through pig keeping.

The houses which were allotted to them in M block at New Tehri town are at unsafe place in which PWD employees dined to live in. Dalit families also objected on this point but in spite of many promises authorities failed to give alternate place and now they had to shift into the same houses.

According to Smt. Vimala police told them to leave their houses. On 3-12-2001 they went to NTT to meet D.M. but could not met them nor she came to visit them.

Vijay kumar the compensation is given to those people only who were able to show Bank loan paper to the authorities. The compensation for the animals’ house is very less, after paying bank loan people are not able to built houses for the animals. Other problem is that they use to sell the pork but in NTT pig keeping is restricted. Though some families are totally dependent on that only.

Here it is important firstly the NOTICE to evacuate the houses has been given 24 hours before only secondly it was in Hindi but Vimala and her husband are illiterate and did not know what was in that.

I was there at the evening of 6th Dec. but all the people were not able to get truck and waiting with luggage to meet the evil fate.

We should put more and more pressure by different meaningful ways for A MASTER REHABILITATION PLAN for controversial Tehri Dam affected and displaced people.

I am going back to Tehri, so after coming back from Tehri.