Centre tells Supreme Court no new hydel projects should come up in upper Ganga

Key points

• In a significant submission to the Supreme Court, the Union government has said that no new hydroelectric projects should be permitted in the upper reaches of the Ganga in Uttarakhand, with the Ministries of Environment, Jal Shakti and Power presenting a single, restrictive position to the court.
• In a common affidavit filed on May 19, the three Ministries stated that apart from seven hydroelectric projects already commissioned or substantially built, the government “is not in favour of permitting any other new hydro-electric project in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basin in the upper reaches of the River Ganga in the State of Uttarakhand”.
• The hardened stand is notable for the Power Ministry’s concurrence;
• as recently as November 2024, through a committee, it had argued for as many as eight projects.
• The seven projects cleared will have a total capacity of just over 2,150 MW and include some of the State’s...