Hundreds of pro-dam activists left Srinagar (Garhwal) in buses on Monday to take part in a one-day dharna by Uttarakhand Minister for Drinking Water & Education Mantri Prasad Naithani at Jantar

A group of villagers, affected by the stalling of the Him Urja Vidyut Pariyojna at Nandprayag and Vishnugad Vidyut Pariyojna at Pipalkoti, staged a symbolic chakka jam on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway at Pipalkoti on Sunday, threatening self-immolation if the government didn't order the resumption of construction work there.

Unhappy with the government for first promising power and revenue generation opportunities to the affected villagers while taking away their lands, and later scrapping the projects at the instance of some environmentalists, the villagers — mostly women — threatened self-immolation if work wasn't resumed by May 10.

Social activist Avdhash Kaushal announced here on Tuesday that he along with some colleagues would observe a one-day fast outside the Gandhi Park on Wednesday against what he described as indecision on the part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the National Ganga Basin Authority at its meeting in New Delhi on the stalled hydro-power projects in Uttarakhand.

These projects had the necessary clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests but were stalled by the Government under pressure from anti-development forces. “

The Uttarakhand High Court's decision striking down the law restricting purchase of agriculture land by outsiders to 250 square metres is likely to have far-reaching implications. According to observers here, the decision will force the Uttarakhand Government to rectify longstanding lacunae in the existing land law.