Uttarakhand government should strictly adhere to the Mishra Committee report says minister environment in his reply in Rajya Sabha
The union minister of environment, forest and climate change Ashwani Kumar Choubey said that action on the recommendations of the Mishra Committee are required to be taken up by the Government of Uttarakhand.
He was replying in writing to a question posed in Rajya Sabha. He said : As per the National Policy on Disaster Management, the primary responsibility of disaster management including disbursal of relief and the rehabilitation of the people affected due to disaster also rests with the State Government.
The Central Government provides necessary financial and logistics support as per established procedure.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha raising the sensitive Joshimath issue the minister Mr. Ashwani Choubey revealed that pursuant to the land subsidence incident reported recently in Joshimath, Chamoli District, all construction activities have been stayed by the State Government in the entire Joshimath area, including Tapovan- Vishnugad power project and Helong Marwari By-Pass Road.
The situation is being continuously monitored at various levels in the State and Central Government. Further, the Central Government and State Government are working in close coordination with all the agencies concerned for mitigating the effect of land subsidence in Joshimath area said the minister in his written reply.
The environment minister Choubey added : The Central Government has also framed a detailed procedure for assessment of environmental and social impacts for developmental projects and is prescribed in the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, as amended from time to time.
The notification inter-alia provides for four stages of consideration process i.e., Screening, Scoping, Public Consultation and Appraisal by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). Environmental clearances are issued only after detailed study and analysis of developmental projects listed in the Schedule to the notification and subject to compliance of necessary environmental safeguards.
Project specific conditions related to safety measures like installation of Early Warning Telemetric system, implementation of Emergency Preparedness Plan, Disaster Management Plan, Dam Break Analysis, Catchment Area Treatment plan, stabilization of muck disposal sites, rim plantation, pasture development, nursery development, etc. are also prescribed in the Environmental Clearances to Hydroelectric projects.
Regarding bigger dams in Uttarakhand as being opposed vehemently by annoyed and angered people of Joshimath and surrounding villages recently after confronting cracks in several houses and displacing thousands of people – the minister clarified that as per the records, in the last decade, the Ministry has granted environmental clearances to Vishnugad Pipalkote Hydroelectric Project (444 MW installed capacity), Aerial Passenger Ropeway from Ghangaria to Hemkund Sahib (Phase-l) and Sanitary Landfill at Joshimath tehsil in Chamoli District, Uttarakhand by following due procedures and incorporating requisite environmental safeguards.
The reply of the minister holds special significance as the protesting people of Uttarakhand especially Joshimath blamed the concurrent governments for granting permission to bigger dams n ropeways etc despite the hard fact that they are environmentally unfriendly and prone to disasters being in Zone 5, highly prone to disastrous earthquakes etc.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
It may be recalled that the Mishra Committee report of 1976 had revealed that Joshimath Holy town is situated in a glacial deposit of sand and stone, not on solid rock. Hence highly dangerous.
According to the 1976 Mishra Committee report Joshimath lies on the ancient glacial landslide and undercutting by Dhauli and Rishi Ganga are leading to landslides. The report stated categorically that these rivers are regularly and constantly cutting the edges of the mountains and inhabited areas thus, recommending construction of pucca drainage system, massive plantation of trees, avoiding agriculture on its slopes, restriction of heavy construction works, blasting, digging to remove boulders for road repairs for construction and construction of bigger houses and commercial buildings.
It strictly prohibited additional construction and building of big building and houses including increasing its carrying capacity etc warning of subsidence and future threat to people’s existence.
But instead of this warning big projects were launched, tunnels built below Joshimath that broke the aquifers inside the tunnel, highways to Badrinath constructed throwing all norms to winds finally displacing thousand of people of Joshimath with about 1000 houses developing cracks and subsidence still taking place with cracks appearing n holes widening.
