20 women activists held in Uttarakhand

Amid mounting protests against hydel projects on Bhagirathi river, twenty women social activists were held for allegedly trying to disrupt a rally.

Amid mounting protests against hydel projects on Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand, twenty women social activists were held on Wednesday for allegedly trying to disrupt a rally of Chief Minister BC Khanduri in the hill town of Uttarkashi.

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Police said the women activists, holding banners and black flags, barged into a public meeting, which was being addressed by Khanduri at Ramlila ground in Uttarkashi town.

They said they rounded up all the activists, who were shouting slogans against Khanduri and calling for ban on all the major hydel projects on the Bhagirathi, a move, which they claimed, would wipe out the identity of the holy river.

A top social activist GD Agarwal said he would stage a fast unto death from June 13 with other activists like Govindacharya, Rajendra Singh lending their support to the cause.

Meanwhile, Khanduri, who kicked off the civil works for the 480 MW Pala Maneri hydroelectric project on Bhagirathi, said he was ready to hold talks with social activists over the environmental issues.

He also said the power was the basic necessity of the state and his government would take all the steps to make Uttarakhand an energy state.