Hundreds of villagers staged a demonstration against Hul Hydro Power Private Ltd. (HHPPL) Chamba in Himachal Pradesh against the upcoming hydropower projects.
The protestors demanded scrapping of the 4.5 MW project allocated to Hul Hydro Power Private Ltd. (HHPPL) by the state government and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Sunil Chaudhary.
The people of eight panchayats in the Saal Valley of Chamba have been demonstrating against the HHPPL under the banner of the Saal Ghaati Bachao Sangharsh Morcha since 2003.
Seven mini and micro hydro projects have been proposed on the Saal river, a tributary of the Ravi, according to a report by Manshi Asher and Prakash Bhandari, members of Himachal-based environmental action group Himdhara. Protesters of Saal Ghaati Bachao Sangharsh Morcha stated that the Hul stream has been supporting the livelihood of nearly 6,000 people directly or indirectly. They added that the river water is used for irrigation, drinking water, fishing and running water mills. The projects coming up on the Hul are planned in some of the most pristine oak forests of the valley.
