Kol Dam oustees have ended their 18-day long agitation after the intervention and assurance from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Development and 20-Point Programme Committee Chairman Ram Lal Thakur and local legislator Bambar Thakur offered fruit juice to the five protesters on relay fast at the dam site.
While addressing oustees, Congress leader Ram Lal Thakur announced that their demands had been accepted and each family would be given an amount equivalent to 1 per cent of the power produced in the project which would be at least Rs 10,000 per month. He said oustees and affected families would get 100 units of free electricity for household consumption every month and preference in future employment. Apart from that the Bohat-Kasol road and other approach roads would be restored and the school at Sepda would have a playground.
To end the protest, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had intervened in the matter and summoned Shimla NTPC General Manager AK Nanda, Bilaspur Deputy Commissioner Ajay Sharma, Ram Lal Thakur and Bambar Thakur. After discussing the matter with them, CM ordered to meet the all demands included in the agreement and the agreement be signed giving specific description of each point in the demand charter.
A bitter and extended agitation had already caused delay in execution of the project and had caused a loss of around Rs 95 crore to the state government and the NTPC.
However with the latest development, agitation convener Babu Ram Thakur and the action committee expressed happiness over the agreement and thanked the Chief Minister and local leaders.
