Is the sluggishness of Bhagirathi due to Tehri hydel project?

The woes of hoteliers and shopkeepers are continuing unabated in Haridwar courtesy the controversial Tehri hydel project.

Ever since, the Tehri dam authorities shut down its last diversion tunnel on October 31 last year, the flow of the Bhagirathi has virtually come to a standstill at Devprayag, a pilgrim centre where the river meets the Alaknanda to form the holy Ganga river.

A scanty stream of the Bhagirathi, which is believed to have been brought to earth by Sage Bhagirath, now meets the Alaknanda despite repeated assertions made by the dam authorities that nearly 70 cusecs of the river water is still continuously flowing from the 2,400 Mw Tehri project.

Nevertheless, the sluggishness of the Bhagirathi has adversely affected pilgrim traffic in Haridwar, the mainstay of the economy in this part where hundreds of people visit everyday to take a holy dip and perform various religious rituals. A small stream, below the knee length level, is flowing at Har-Ki-Pauri.

With the water level of the river decreasingly considerably here, the anger is palpable on the faces of Pandas and Purohits as well as the business community.

While, the Shiri Ganga Sabha, the main body of purohits at Har-Ki-Pauri, has protested the decision to block the Bhagirathi, the business community including hoteliers and shopkeepers are agitated over the less discharge of the Bhagirathi river.

"The pilgrim traffic has decreased by 40 to 50 percent in Haridwar due to blockage of the Bhagirathi river," said Ram Kumar Mishra, the president of the Ganga Sabha.

On the other hand, business community led by the Haridwar Small Shopkeepers Association has demanded that the 40 per cent of the Bhagirathi river water should be restored. "Pilgrims are not coming to Haridwar, due to which our business has been affected badly," said Sanjay Chopra, president of the Association.

Sadhus and saints are also angry over the alleged stopping of the Bhagirathi river. "The government should not play with the religious sentiments of crores of people," said Swami Parmanand Saraswati, general secretary of the All India Akhara Parishad.