Uttarakhand to seek fresh rehabilitation package Tehri dam oustees

DEHRADUN: With more and more villages submerging into the Tehri Dam reservoir, Uttarakhand would seek a fresh rehabilitation package from the centre for the Tehri dam oustees.

"We have kept a demand of Rs 161 crores for the rehabilitation and other purposes in Tehri," said District Magistrate Tehri Girija Shanker Joshi.

For this purpose, Chief Secretary S K Das would also convene a meeting to discuss the situation arising out of the rising water level in Tehri which has inundated vast areas of Chham, Bariyani and other villages.

The water level in Tehri reservoir was hovering around 810 meters today, "We have only given permission till 820 meters. Beyond this level, water cannot rise further," said Joshi.

But another 10 meter rise in the reservoir also means that more villages would submerge into the Tehri reservoir.

Till date, 1400 people, seeking compensation, have approached a special grievance cell set up in the light of the Supreme Court's order.

For generating electricity from Tehri project, the dam authorities shut down the last tunnels of the dam to fill the reservoir in October 2005.

Since then, there had been steady rise in water level that helped the dam authorities to operate the project.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Uttarakhand_to_seek_fresh_rehabilitation_package_Tehri_dam_oustees/articleshow/2355166.cms