The Rishi Ganga and Tapovan Hydro Project have been completely destroyed in the disaster caused by a glacier burst on Sunday morning in Raini in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The project started in June. According to project officials, about 50 people working on the project are missing.
According to the information, the Rishiganga Hydro Project (13.2 MW) was commissioned in 2011. After this, in 2016, when it was damaged, it stopped power generation. Subsequently, the Kundan Group through the NCLT took over its operations. It was then restarted in June 2020.
Raini village of Neeti valley is the confluence site of Dholi Ganga and Rishi Ganga. There is a 13 MW hydropower project on Rishi Ganga and a 500 MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project in Tapovan. The water level of the sage Ganga rose due to the breaking of the glacier, which completely destroyed the sage Ganga hydropower project. While the Tapovan Vishnugad project has also suffered extensive damage.
The tunnel construction work of the Tapovan-Vishnugad project was going on in full swing these days. On Sunday, hundreds of workers were engaged in tunnel construction work. The water and debris of the river have also entered this tunnel, due to which the workers are feared to be trapped in large quantities.
At the same time, the Chief Secretary has predicted the disappearance of 100 to 150 people. In Srinagar, the administration has appealed to the people living in settlements along the river to move to safer places. In Joshimath, Pipalkoti, Chamoli, Nandprayag, Karnprayag as well as in the Rudraprayag area, police asked loudspeakers for people to move to safer places.
At the same time, laborers working in the river are also being removed. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said, 16 people trapped in the Tapovan dam have been sent by police to safe places. According to an ITBP spokesman, three bodies have been found so far.