Maletha – SANDRP

Chronicle of an emphatic victory against crushers continued from May 2015 onwards

After hosting two days long workshop on Sustainable Mountain Development (02-03 May 2015) Maletha continued its agitation against stone crushers. The event popularised the villagers’ strength and struggle on wider platform.

On 8^th of May 2015, villagers issued warnings of resuming indefinite hunger strike if the govt. failed to take a stand on the issue of stone crushers. A protest march was organized on 15^th of May 2015 and two villagers Vimla Devi, head of Mahila Sangrash Samiti and Dev Singh Negi started observing fast on alternate days. Setting 25^th May 2015 as deadline for State Govt. to act, villagers again demanded closing down of all illegal stone crushers running in Kirti Nagar block.

Meanwhile referring to High Court Nainital (HCN) April 2015 order, State Govt communicated that firm action will be taken against crusher units violating the stipulated norms. Following that, Commissioner Garhwal (GC) CS Napalchyal visited Maletha. Despite finding one stone crusher belonging to Satyam Shivam Sundaram Company violating environmental norms, he ordered a magisterial probe in the matter. Feeling disappointed by state machinery, Hemanti Negi a village woman sat on indefinite hunger strike on 25^th May 2015.

Continue reading “Maletha; Battle won but war remains to be fought” →

About Maletha Placed in middle Himalaya, Maletha[1] is a prosperous village of about 450 households in Tehri district of Uttarakhand. The village is settled next to National Highway 58, on right bank of Alaknanda River at a vertical distance of 400 meters in Kirti Nagar block. It is about 25 km upstream from Devprayag where Alaknanda from left and Bhagirathi from right side, unite to form the Ganga River.

*Goggle Imagery of Maletha Village* (30*14’01.95” N 78*43’24.69”E elev 572 meter)

1- Maletha Village	5-Tunnel part of irrigation channel*	9- 2013 flood affected farm *	13- Stone Crusher
2-Maletha Farmland	6-Alaknanda River	10-Stone Crusher	14- Stone Crusher
3- Maletha Temple	7-Chandrabhaga River	11- Stone Crusher	15-Proposed Railway line
4- Maletha Irrigation Channel	8-National Highway-58	12- Stone Crusher	16-Proposed Railway Station

5* Villagers have built Madho Singh Bhandari’s memorial there 9* June 2013 flood has deposited about 25feet high sand on river banks and submersed around 10 acres of agricultural land turning them unproductive.

Continue reading “Maletha; Redefining ‘Development’ to Protect Cultural and Natural Heritage” →