But in the midst of the monsoon fury, the plight of those from Chham, Talla Uppu, Bariyani and other villages that sank under the Tehri dam went unnoticed.
An unspoken fear prevails in these areas as the water level of Tehri reservoir hovers around 810 metres and is ready to climb another 10 metres. As water gushed into the villages, there was a mad scramble to collect the essentials — clothes, jewellery and utensils among other things. Villagers managed to carry their valuables, but they are still struggling with the horror of being uprooted.
According to a rough estimate, over 1,500 persons are still waging their battle for rehabilitation. But the Tehri dam authorities have remained unconcerned leading to widespread discontent among the victims. Those who have received compensation are also not happy, as they strongly believe that the cost of uprooting their lives can never be compensated. The story of rehabilitation has remained mired in allegations of corruption, despite the Supreme Court’s orders calling for early settlement of the issue.
Resettled people still complain of being cut off from their traditional social fabric. Some areas like Pathari in Haridwar and Pashulok in Rishikesh, where they have been rehabilitated are devoid of basic amenities like road, water and electricity.
Old Tehri, once a flourishing city of Garhwal, has already been wiped off the map due to the 45 sq km artificial lake that was formed in the wake of the 2,400 MW Tehri project, the largest in Asia. It is not just about an old town. Along with Tehri, nearly 125 villages were also fully or partially affected by the mega project that uprooted more than two lakh people.
It was the chilly night of October 29 in 2005, when the dam authorities shut down the T-2 diversion tunnel of the project blocking the flow of Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers after a group of local leaders lost a legal battle over the vexed rehabilitation issue in the Uttarakhand High Court.
Immediately after the closure of the last diversion tunnel, panic gripped the entire area as the water level of the two rivers began rising, inundating vast areas of the town and adjoining villages.
The people had little choice but to say goodbye to their homes paying a high price in the name of development. All of a sudden, turmoil, confusion and despair took to the fore in Tehri as people began dismantling their homes and carting away everything including window frames, doors and tin sheds. Since then, their plight continues unabated.
Pratap Nagar, with a population of 1.5 lakh, is another block which has been cut off with most of the connecting bridges disappearing with the villages. Perched on a hill top, Pratap Nagar has now become nearly 100 kms away from the district headquarters, while it used to be as close as 20 kms before.
The same is true with some areas in Uttarkashi district, which are also being cut off from the Tehri-Gangontri Highway, a portion of which is getting submerged.
While the government claimed that most of the displaced by the dam have been rehabilitated, villagers still complain about lack of proper accommodation. The Tehri project may provide electricity and drinking water to a large portion of the country but the cost paid by the people is beyond description.
It also brings forth questions on the requirement for a larger dam. While they are pondered over, any answers to it is unlikely to change the villages around Tehri that has gone under water. For the displaced people, the struggle goes on without hope of a satisfactory solution.
