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Journalism of Courage
The waters of the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers have gradually risen following the closure of all tunnels of the Tehri dam, submerging one village after another. In response, the affected people of Tehri district today boycotted the fifth anniversary of Uttaranchal’s creation, otherwise celebrated with gaiety all over the state.
Protest demonstrations were held at Malideval and Chham villages, the two villages which will soon be submerged in the reservoir of the Tehri dam. The affected people, preoccupied with salvaging their belongings from their homes, still found some time to hold a noisy demonstration against their ouster without any adequate compensation.
Thin attendance was recorded at the anniversary day function held at the district headquarters at New Tehri township. Most of the locals boycotted the function.
Jot Singh Bisht, block president Partapnagar, the worst affected by the dam, said that two foot bridges, Serain-Partapnagar and Simlasoo-Jakhnidhar, have submerged, cutting off large population of Partapnagar block. ‘‘Similarly the bridge at Kotrigard, which connects the town with the rest of Uttarkashi district, would also submerge in a few days, forcing the traffic to use the new 76 km long road,’’ said Bisht.
The ousted from Partapnagar have started a relay hunger strike at the Congress party headquarters demanding compensation.
