Dobra Chanti bridge still a distant dream

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Mussoorie, February 14

Members of the Dobra Chanti Pul Banao Sangharsh Samiti are irked at the lackadaisical approach of the state government towards the plight of the dam-affected villages in the Pratap Nagar block. The samiti is agitating for the construction of the Dobra Chanti bridge and the development of the areas surrounding the Tehri Lake.

Rajeshwar Painuli, chief coordinator of the Dobra Chaanti Pul Banao Sangharsh Samiti, says since the creation of the Tehri Lake, villagers living around it have been suffering due to lack of adequate connectivity, basic facilities and employment opportunities.

Villagers of the Pratap Nagar block have been at the receiving end. They have been denied the gains of development due to the delay in the construction of the Dobra Chanti bridge, says Rajeshwar Painuli.

“The increase in incidence of land subsidence in the villages around the Tehri Lake, especially towards the Pratap Nagar area, has led to mass migration. Local families now desist from marrying their daughters in these villages due to insufficient amenities,” adds Painuli.

He says the condition of the area will not improve till additional funds from profits earned in form of royalty by the state government from power generation by Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation (THDC) is not earmarked for development. 

The state government receives around Rs 200 crore by way of 12 per cent share of royalty from the THDC and some amount from this profit can be used for the betterment and rehabilitation of the villages that have been affected due to the construction of the Tehri dam.

Meanwhile, a ‘bhumi pujan’ was performed at the Dobra Chanti bridge on the start of the construction work. Local MLA Vikram Singh Negi says that the problems that led to delay in the construction have been sorted out and the government has sanctioned Rs 150 crore for its completion. The officials concerned have been directed to work in accordance with the new design approved by the Korean consultancy company. 

Painuli says the government has performed ‘bhumi pujans’ a number of times but the work on the bridge has remained subdued. He alleges that World Bank has blacklisted the new contractor who has been assigned the job. The government is just trying to divert the attention of the people by performing a ‘bhumi pujan’ and the bridge that was earlier to be built for two way traffic has now been converted into one way for unknown reasons. The condition of health, education and transport facilities and agriculture in the region is also poor, adds Painuli.