INDIA: Villagers protesting against a river project are subjected to torture in Uttaranchal 

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources about atrocities perpetuated by the local police in coalition with the district administration on villagers protesting against the construction of a dam under the Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal.

This river project has been contracted by the Government of Uttaranchal to a private company called Swasti Power Engineering Ltd, which is owned by the brothers of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This company was first sanctioned an 11mgwt project for a lease period of 35 years after the completion of a survey and clearance of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

A few years later another contract with Swasti Power was signed by the Government of Uttaranchal for a 22.5 mgwt project this time for a 40 year period. However, the government completely ignored the social and environmental costs that the communities living in that area would have to endure.
In response to this, villagers have been protesting in Phalenda, Tehri District. One hundred and twenty villagers were arrested by the police in March 2005 and another 79 were arrested in July 2005. Since November 20, at least 29 people, including 6 women have been arrested. The police have been using brutal force, women have been dragged by their hair, their clothes have been torn and families of these protesters are being continuously harassed.

The AHRC condemns this brutal behavior by the police which is supported by the District Administration and in the larger picture by the State Government. We thereby call for your urgent intervention. Please write to the concerned authorities asking them to ensure that the protesting villagers are treated with dignity and respect. Action should be taken against all those responsible for this inhumane treatment meted out to them. We also request the Government of Uttaranchal to stall this project immediately until the new Environment Impact Assessment for the 22.5 mgwt plant is conducted and cleared since the old one is no longer applicable. It is essential that there is a total analysis of the impact of this project on the livelihood and health of the villagers and on the environment. We also urge the Government to have an objective look at the demands placed by these villagers and ensure that there is no negative impact on their life and in the environment around them.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission
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DETAILED INFORMATION

Victims: Protesting villagers in Phalenda, Tehri district
Alleged Perpetrators:
1. The police
2. The District Administration
3. The Government of Uttaranchal
4. The Swasti Power Engineering Company Ltd
Place: Bhilangana Hydel River Project in Tehri Garhwal District, Uttaranchal

Case Details:

The Bhilangana Hydel river project in Tehri-Garhwal District, Uttaranchal, was contracted by the Government of Uttaranchal (GOU) to Swasti Power Engineering Ltd, a private company owned by the brothers of Mr. Raj Sekhar Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

A contract between the GOU and Swasti Powers was signed on 21 March 2001 wherein Swasti Power was sanctioned an 11 mgwt project on the Bhilangana River for a 35 year lease period. This was given on the basis of completion of a survey and clearance of the EIA (prepared by Acres International) by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It is to be noted that Acres International, which is a partner of Swasti Powers, was convicted for bribery in 2002 and has been blacklisted by the World Bank on charges of corruption and barred from being involved in any bank contracts for three years.

On 16 October 2003, another contract this time for a 22.5 mgwt plant was signed between GOU and Swasti Powers for a 40 year lease period. However, when the capacity of the project was unilaterally doubled, the specifications also changed substantially.

It now appears that the GOU considered the short term profitability of the proposed investment and ignored the social and environmental costs that the communities living in that area would have to endure as a result of this project. This is reflected in the absence of any analysis of the socio-economic profile of the local population or mention of the impact on their livelihood, health and other aspects. The impact upon the environment too has been ignored. Apart from the fact that there is no EIA for the new project which is essential (since the last one was for a project of much lesser capacity), the present EIA makes no mention of the location of quarries required for construction materials, release of oils, greases, the nature of ribbon and ancillary development, the likelihood of heavy metal releases from turbine erosion and the impact of all these on the environment.

This project is said to directly affect the lives and livelihood of seven villages with a population of approximately 5000 people. This mainly includes farmers who have small plots of land and sustain their families on the two crops they are able to grow in a year due to the continuous supply of water from the Bhilangana River. It is alleged that this supply will now be controlled by Swasti Powers and released only as per the company’s calculations of the people’s needs.

The villagers have been protesting in Phalenda, Tehri District against this project and have made a list of demands. The police with help from the local administration arrested 120 protesters in March 2005 and another 79 in July 2005. Another 29 people have been arrested since November 20 for protesting against the violations of Government norms. Women were beaten and abused, dragged by their hair and there clothes were torn. Some even had scars on their face, as a result of the beatings, three weeks after the brutality. Families of these protesters have been repeatedly harassed by the police.

The AHRC strongly condemns the brutal behavior of the police as well as the fact that there has been no EIA for the 22.5 mgwt Bhilangana Hydel River project.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the concerned authorities asking them to ensure that the protesting villagers are treated with dignity and respect and actions are taken against all those responsible for their inhumane treatment. Please also request the Government of Uttaranchal to stall this project immediately until the new Environment Impact Assessment for the 22.5 mgwt plant is conducted and cleared.

 

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