HARIDWAR, INDIA, November 11, 2005: For centuries the Bhagirathi has been revered as one of the holiest rivers in India. Ever since the Tehri dam authorities shut down its last diversion tunnel, however, the flow of the Bhagirathi has virtually come to a standstill at Devprayag where it meets with the Alaknanda to form the holy River Ganga, reports Shishir Prashant from Haridwar.
The Bhagirathi, which is believed to have been brought from heaven to earth by the sage Bhagirath, now meets Alaknanda as little more than a small stream despite repeated assertions made by the dam authorities that nearly 70 cusecs of the river’s water is still flowing from the 2,400 MW Tehri project, a claim rejected by the Shri Ganga Sabha, the main body of purohits at Har-Ki-Pauri here. This has adversely affected the pilgrim traffic here where hundreds of people visit every day to hold karamkand rituals for their ancestors. With the water level of the river falling so drastically, anger is beginning to rise among the pandas and purohits as well as the business community. While the Ganga Sabha protested against the decision to block the Bhagirathi water, the businessmen hold demonstrations on a daily basis.
“They didn’t listen to us before the closure of the tunnel. We have protested against the decision,” Ganga Sabha President Ram Kumar Mishra said. The business community, led by the Haridwar Small Shopkeepers Association, has demanded that 40 per cent of the water should be allowed to flow downstream. “Pilgrims are not coming to Haridwar due to which our business has been affected,” Sanjay Chopra, the association’s head, said. Sadhus are also angry over the alleged blockage of the Bhagirathi river. “The government should not play with the religious sentiments of people,” said Swami Parmanand Saraswati, general secretary of the All India Akhara Parishad.