Latest news with #BijliMahadevRopewaySangharshSamiti
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Residents of Bijli Mahadev launch campaign to stop ropeway project
1 2 3 Kullu: Ahead of its planned protest march, the Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Sangharsh Samiti (BMRSS) on Tuesday launched a village-to-village campaign to unite the residents against the ropeway project that is planned to come up on the scenic and sacred meadows of the Bijli Mahadev temple in Kullu district. Led by Suresh Negi, president, BMRSS, the committee members on Tuesday visited Pechha village near Bijli Mahadev and sought residents' help in opposing the ropeway project and to not let the govt convert their "place of faith into a tourist spot". The committee is planning to visit not only the villages of the Kullu valley but also the neighbouring Parvati valley to raise awareness about the environmental harms such a project can cause in Bijli Mahadev, a place of pilgrimage for the locals. "Our ongoing campaign is taking the shape of a mass movement against the ropeway project, which was finalised by the govt by ruthlessly ignoring the faith of the people and by keeping aside all the environmental concerns. Even Lord Bijli Mahadev has said no to this project but still the govt is adamant," said Negi. "The people of Kullu are uniting against the ropeway project, which is sure to destroy our sacred place of faith by converting it into a tourist spot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Bijli Mahadev is not for sale and if needed we are ready to give our lives to save Bijli Mahadev," he said, adding that a massive protest would be held in Kullu on July 25. The residents of Kharal valley, which lies at the foothills of the Bijli Mahadev temple, have been holding agitations against the ropeway project for more than two years. They believe that the 2.4-km-long ropeway project would destroy the meadows of Bijli Mahadev, which is located at an altitude of around 2,460 metres. The meadows of Bijli Mahadev have been cracking up at several places and locals say that the ropeway project, which is to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 284 crore with a capacity of 36,000 passenger trips per day, would completely destroy the area. So far, no politician, neither from the Congress nor from the BJP, has come out in support of the residents, who kicked off the latest rounds of protests in the first week of this month when as many as 67 deodar trees were cut for the project by the National Highways Logistics Management Limited, which is building the ropeway. The angry residents last week forcefully stopped the tree-felling work in the Bijli Mahadev forest and have not allowed the transportation of timber. As per the project details, a total of 203 trees will be cut and around 3.1 hectares of forest land will be diverted for the project. "They came like thieves in the night and cut our trees when no one was watching. But we will not let this happen again. The villagers living near Bijli Mahadev have a right over the forest land and its trees under the Forest Rights Act. No prior permission was taken from the FRA committee to cut the trees. This fact makes it a crime," said Fateh Rana, general secretary, BMRSS. Rana said most of the panchayats of the Kharal valley had already given in writing that they have not provided a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the project. "Six panchayats have written to us saying they did not give NOCs and the rest will follow suit. If there was no NOC then how come this project was cleared?" Rana asked. When contacted, conservator, Kullu Forest Circle, Sandeep Sharma said all the requisite permissions for the project were in place. "This project has received stage-1 in-principal permission from the environment ministry. But since it's a linear project, the work can start before the stage-2 or the final permission. The project developer has already submitted the costs, including of trees to be cut and the environmental compensation for the forest land to be diverted for the project," said Sharma.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Kullu rises against Bijli Mahadev ropeway
Construction of a ropeway to Bijli Mahadev, a revered pilgrimage site in Kullu, has commenced despite strong local opposition. The project, undertaken by NHLML, involves cutting down trees, sparking protests from residents concerned about environmental damage and the sanctity of the site. KULLU: Despite opposition, work has begun on a ropeway to the iconic Bijli Mahadev, a scenic pilgrimage site atop a mountain in Kullu district, sparking a fresh wave of protests. Last week, a total of 77 deodar trees were cut for the project by the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), which is building the ropeway and is a subsidiary of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This infuriated locals, who obstructed NHLML employees on July 7 from transporting timber loaded in trucks. On July 8, hundreds of locals, including women, met forest department officials to complain about the felling of trees and later protested in Kullu. They believe the 2.4-km-long ropeway would destroy the sacred meadow of Bijli Mahadev, located at an altitude of 2,460 metres on a mountain top above the Kharal valley that faces Kullu town. They then confronted the staff of NHLML again on July 10. On July 8, led by local politician Ram Singh, members of the Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Sangharsh Samiti reached the forest where the trees were cut and forced the staff to leave the spot. There is also a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva on this meadow, which is one of the largest on any mountaintop in Kullu valley. 'Bijli Mahadev is aplace of pilgrimage for the people of the entire Kullu district. But our politicians have sold it for commercial gains. They have chosen money over faith. But the common people of Kullu valley will continue to oppose this project tooth and nail,' said Fateh Rana, a resident of the Kharal valley and a member of the Bijli Mahadev Ropeway Sangharsh Samiti, which has been formed by locals to oppose the project. Rana said Bijli Mahadev was an eco-sensitive place. 'Many locals are dependent on the forest. Moreover, the Bijli Mahadev meadow land has been sinking, and this felling of trees would make it worse,' Rana added. He warned of a natural catastrophe, unlike any before, if the project was built against the will of Lord Bijli Mahadev. Fissures a concern The meadow of Bijli Mahadev has developed fissures at several places in recent years as environmentalists and locals have been pushing for tree plantation to stop land from sinking in the area. According to Guman Singh, a Kullu-based environmentalist and the coordinator of NGO Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, it's not development but destruction in the name of religious tourism. 'Govt should have conducted a technical feasibility study before going ahead with its project. What the govt is doing is destroying the places of faith in the name of religious tourism. The only people who will benefit from such projects are the ones who will do business and construct hotels at such sites,' said Singh. To be built for Rs 284 crore, the ropeway, stretching from Pirdi village, located next to the Beas, to Bijli Mahadev mountaintop, will have a capacity of 36,000 passenger trips per day, and it will take just seven minutes to reach the top. At present, it takes an hour-long trek from the Kullu side to reach the temple. 'The plan to take nearly 36,000 people to the fragile mountaintop of Bijli Mahadev in a single day is madness. The ropeway will kill this place, but our politicians have been bragging about how a huge number of people could reach the Bijli Mahadev in a matter of a few minutes without realising its environmental implications,' said Shanta Devi, a resident of Kharal valley and a women's group head. Locals said even the Bijli Mahadev deity was against the project. 'Bijli Mahadev does not want the ropeway on the nangi dhar (meadow). The deity's 'gur' (oracle) has already said it. But the developer has not moved the project away from the meadow,' said Vinender Singh Jamwal, the kardar (administrative head) of Bijli Mahadev temple deity. The state govt has also been trying to promote Bijli Mahadev as a tourist destination and believes a ropeway would boost tourism. Last year on March 5, Union Minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari performed the bhoomi pujan of the project. According to Ram Singh, a local politician, Bijli Mahadev is not a tourist destination but a place of pilgrimage. 'Residents have been opposing this project, and even Lord Bijli Mahadev has given his dissent through his medium. Still, govt has gone ahead with this project. There are so many other scenic places in Kullu the govt could be developed and where ropeways could be built,' said Singh. 'The irony is that the people's representatives, who swear by gods, are missing and not standing with us. But we will continue to oppose this project. It's a matter of faith for us,' added Singh.
