Dehradun: The centre has scrapped the 600 MW Loharinagpala Hydro power project at Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand in view of protest from various sections over it.

The project undertaken by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) was being made on the river Bhagirathi that later forms the Ganga at Devprayag along with other rivers.

A sum of Rs 600 crore has already been spent on the project and 40 per cent of the project work had been completed. The project was to be commissioned by 2012.

This hydropower project had recently evoked controversy after environmental engineer and former IIT professor GD Aggarwal sat on dharna in July 2010 demanding scrapping of the project.

If completed, the state of Uttarakhand would have received 72 megawatts of electricity as royalty which is 12 per cent of the total production. The hydro power projects of 381 MW Bhaironghati and 480 MW Pala Maneri have already been scrapped owing to protests.

The main contention of the protestors is that the project requires channeling of the river through 16 kilometre tunnel, which obstructs its natural flow, thereby compromising its sanctity, upsetting the natural balance and tampering with the eco system.
—iGovernment Bureau