In March 2001, when the movement against the Tehri dam was running out of steam, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) got in on the act. Party leader Ashok Singhal sat on a fast against the damming of the Bhagirathi river, considered sacred. But Singhal's tantrums were nipped in the bud.

All it has taken to placate the strident outfit is the setting up of a committee, led by Union human resource development minister Murli Manohar Joshi, to assess the efficacy of the project. And letting the river's waters flow unhindered, even if it is through a four-inch pipe fitted in one of the sealed tunnels. Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna has called it a mere tap but VHP leader Giriraj Kishore is satisfied.

The Joshi committee was to submit its report around May 2001. But the panel is still studying the matter. One of its mandates was to look into the seismic safety of the dam. "The authorities have adopted a blind approach and ignored the seismic safety issue,' says T Shivaji Rao, a member of the committee. K S Valdiya, another member, says that he will refuse to sign any recommendation that clears high dams in the Himalayan region.

Even before the committee can come out with its findings, the dam construction work has recommenced. When asked to clarify, Uttaranchal chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari says, "Even local people, who are the worst-hit, have given their consent. Opposition from any other quarters is irrelevant now.' Clearly, the entire exercise has been nothing more than an attempt by the VHP to derive political mileage from the issue.