While many projects for 'development' are displacing communities, the attitude of callousness for people being affected transcends the bureaucracy. An example from Himachal on the abuse of communities and environments around project sites.

The implementing agency of the Hul Hydro Electric Project axed around 25 full grown trees in a community conserved forest near the Loyil village of the Silla Gharat Gram Panchyat, about 35 km from the district headquarter Chamba on Saturday, the 13^th. This is despite continued protests against the construction of the project by the people of the affected Panchayats. In fact, none of the Gram Sabhas of the affected Panchayats have given a go ahead for the project; Gram Sabha of Jadera Panchayat has even gone to the extent of passing resolutions against the construction of the project.

It is reported that the employees of the project implementing company descended on the heavily forested hillside with a group of labourers early in the morning and started sawing the trees. By the time the local people got alerted of the goings on, more than 20 full grown trees, including those of the protected Ban specie, had been felled by the labourers. On the strong objection made by the locals, especially some brave Gujjar women from the nearby village, the labourers left the place along with the manager of the project.

The 4.5 Megawatt project is being implemented by the Hul Hydropower Company Private Limited of Hyderabad. The Zilla Parishad member of the area, Rattan Chand, said that allowing the work to start on the project was in direct contravention of the Panchayati Raj Act since none of the concerned Gram Sabhas have issued a no objection certificate for the project. He said that the main reasons for the people’s opposition of the project are that this project shall destroy the rich forests of Devdar and Ban in an area where more than 95% of the people are heavily dependent upon forests for their survival. About 60% of the population comprises of Gujjars and Gaddis.

This heavily forested area has been protected through the efforts of the local people and is home to several species of wildlife. There is a strong reason for this project to be shelved considering the fact that the 1.5 MW Koladi project near Khajjiar was shelved due to its proximity to a wildlife sanctuary. This area has much richer forests and wildlife as compared to the Koladi area and if this project is allowed to come up, thousands of trees shall get felled for making the 5 Km long water channel, said Rattan Chand. Local communities are concerned that the migrant labourers who come for construction may also trap wildlife and cut more trees illegally.

Besides this, the Hul river sustains about 24 water mills whose future shall be doomed if the two proposed project on this river are allowed to materialse. The deforestation that shall come in the wake of this project shall seriously diminish the amount of drinking water that this river supplies to the downstream areas, including Chamba town. This water of the Hul river has been sold off to the private companies in complete disregard of the pressing local need, Rattan said. The water from this river irrigates the rich vegetable growing areas of villages Chambi, Chameenu and some parts of Barour Panchayat. Without irrigations people from these villages shall get impoverished and shall have no option but to migrate to urban centres. The Silla khud-Sarol kuhl, work on which was abandoned in 1958 after construction till the villages Barour and Sungal should have been revived to supply drinking and irrigation to water scarce Barour and Sungal Panchayats instead of this project.

The locals from the concerned Panchayats have been protesting against the construction of the project at all levels since the time the surveys for the project were going on. The Gram Sabha of the main effected Jadera Panchayat, has passed resolutions against the proposed project on 5 occasions. Similar resolutions opposing the project have been passed by the Zilla Parishad of Chamba District on 3 occasions. The locals have also written about this matter to the Chief Minister, the Power Minister of the state as well as the center. Due to this inaction on the part of the government, the people affected by all the projects in the Sal-Hul valley have decided to hold a demonstration in Chamba town on Tuesday.