The Maheshwar dam project in Madhya Pradesh has met with stiff resistance from local people and environmentalists, adding to the list of hydel projects facing opposition. Agitation against the Sardar Sarovar project in the Narmada valley is still on.
Maheshwar dam is one of the first private sector hydel projects in the country. The civil work on the project has started and the project is now in an advanced stage of implementation. It envisages power generation to the tune of 400 mw. The estimated cost of the project is over Rs 2,300 crore. It is a part of the Armada valley project that consists of 30 major, 135 medium and 300 small dams on Armada river and tributaries.
The local people, led by environmentalists like Medha Patkar, have launched a mass agitation to stall project work. The local people have been camping at the dam site since early this month, demanding stoppage of work and a review in terms of the projects viability, rehabilitation package.
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The agitators say, though Maheshwar is considered to be a run-of-the-river project, it threatens to submerge 2,500 acre, over 61 villages, affecting about 2,200 families. The agitation has acquired a new dimension as, according to a spokesman of the agitationists, five people have gone on an indefinite fast, in addition to 21 people on a 24 hour relay fast.
The main force behind the agitation is said to be the well known organisation, the Armada Bachao Andolan, which is backed by several other such organisations working in the area.