Residents of Vashisht, Koshla, Mathiana, Kanchnikoot and Chadhiyari thanked the state government for accepting their demand of canceling the allotment of controversial 1 MW Chhor Nullah Hydro Electric Project near Vashisht village.

Residents of the these villages were protesting the construction work of Hydro Electric Project at religious place as they believed the project was hurting the religious sentiments and polluting the holy shrine of Goddess Jogni, prime goddess of the region. They claimed that the project had destroyed “charan padukas” and “pindis” of the goddess at Narol, the place where Jogni took bath. Nobody is allowed to go near the holy Narol, but the project management was building intake for turbine feeders here.

Earlier, villagers had staged protest against the project. Fearing tampering with shrines of deities, the Kullu Kardar Sangh also had showed resentment and rejected the project outright.

After the decision of the state Cabinet to cancel the allotment of the project under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, local residents expressed their happiness along with local MLA Govind Thakur who visited Vashisht village. Local MLA Govind Thakur also congratulated local residents for their victory and also thanked Chief Minister for respecting their religious sentiments.