Reckong Peo: Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress President Nigam Bhandari has raised his voice against the potential threat to the river and forests in tribal district Kinnaur and has demanded the state government to stop the construction of the proposed 804-megawatt Jangi Thopan Powari hydropower project.
He has appealed to the general public to come together and raise their voices against this project and save Kinnaur from environmental degradation.
Located in Jangi village in Kinnaur, this hydroelectric project is being constructed by SJVN Limited (SJVN) on the river Sutlej.
This project envisages the construction of an 88-metre high concrete gravity dam across Satluj. A 12 kilometres long tunnel will be constructed for the diversion of water. However, multiple aspects of the tunnel are very likely to affect several villages in Jangam valley.
Around 295.93 hectares of land is required for the project out of which 270.43 hectares is forest land while 25.5 hectares is private land.
Local residents have been protesting against the construction of this hydroelectric project for the past few months. Local residents have claimed that the construction of this dam will have adverse effects on the ecology of the district. Its construction will also increase the chances of landslides.
This hydroelectric project is estimated to cost 5708.35 crores. It is expected to provide employment to approximately 3500 people during the construction period of five years.
