Lok Sabha MP from Nainital, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, wants the Centre to expedite the Jamrani Dam project on the Gola river and follow the government’s agenda of developing low-cost airports in Uttarakhand to give a fillip to tourism and industry.
The former Uttarakhand Chief Minister is peeved that an environment clearance has held up the Jamrani project, which, he asserts, will not only provide drinking water to the people, but also ease the problems faced by farmers by providing water and power for farming.
“I will soon meet Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar and press for fast-tracking the project. There is an acute drinking water crisis in the region, and the dam is the only solution. We understand that some 600 families will have to be relocated, but that can be done. We can relocate people and rehabilitate them, but it is not right to put the dam project on hold because drinking water needs cannot be ignored,” he told The Hindu .
The 130-metre-high Jamrani dam in Nainital was sanctioned in 2005 with an estimated cost of Rs.927.93 lakh, but work has not started owing to denial of mandatory clearances.
“The dam will also provide relief to farmers. It will offer more water for irrigation and generate electricity as well. The region needs development and it cannot be achieved unless efforts are made to improve connectivity. ,” he said.
