To,
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Hon'able Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi - 110001

June 2 1999

SUB: DENOTIFICATION OF MORE THAN 10 SQ. KMS OF THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK (GHNP) FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE PARBATI RIVER VALLEY PROJECT IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

Dear Sir,
I am writing to you with reference to the Parbati River Valley Project for which you are laying the foundation stone in the 1st week of June.

I do not know whether you are aware that as the project has been framed presently more than 10 sq. kms of the ecologically vital Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) will be destroyed. The H.P. government has already denotified this part of the GHNP to facilitate the project by their notification No. FFE-B-F(3)-2/99, dated May 28, 1999.

There are realignments possible and even a slight realignment of the project would help in saving the threatened parts of the National Park.

Various critical issues have been ignored and this a matter of serious concern. There are various points that we wish to bring to your urgent notice before you go ahead with your plan of laying the foundation stone:

1. The Governor of Himachal Pradesh, in his letter dated March 7, 1994, (No. Ft (B)-6-16/73-SF-II) declaring his intention to constitute the Great Himalayan National Park had clearly stated that the area is of great ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological and geological importance. Now, all of a sudden this important area of the Jiwa valley is being said to have no ecological value and is being suggested for exclusion. This is incomprehensible and unacceptable.

2. The GHNP is home to a host of critically endangered plants and animals like the Serow, the Himalayan Tahr, the Chinese Pheasant, the Musk Deer, and the Western Trapogan [listed in the Red Data Book of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)] The Western Trapogan in particular is limited to the Western Himalayas and the GHNP is the only National Park in the world that supports the bird.

3. The part of the National Park that has been excluded will be directly and adversely affected by the activities of the project. Further the project will also greatly disturb the inviolate core area of the park due to the extensive movement of men and materials for the work of the project in the area. The Parbati project works will thus be carried out close to the core zone.

4. It is also established that the GHNP is one of the few National Parks in the country that was established after detailed scientific and ecological investigations by a team of internationally reputed scientists and experts. The park also falls within one of the globally important Endemic Bird Areas (Western Himalayas) identified by the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP) Biodiversity project and recently became one of the first parks in India to receive International Development Assistance for ecodevelopment.
Inspite of all this, neither has the option of various scientists and experts sought nor have they been consulted before declaring the denotified area of the Jiwa valley as ecologically insignificant.

5. The process by which the concerned areas have been excluded has been done with undue haste and without proper procedures being followed. According to newspaper reports the process was completed in 8 days and without waiting for the approval of the Union Ministry of Environment.

6. Though the stated reason for the exclusion (denotification) of the areas of the Jiwa valley is the settlement of rights of people of the villages of Kundar and Manjhan, it appears evident that the main intention is the facilitation of the Parbati Hydel project.

We request you not to look at our concern as some kind of anti development propaganda. We are interested and concerned about the development of the state, but this should not be compromised with biodiversity or the loss of ecological security on which depends the well being of all. There are reports from various other parts of HP that the sanctuaries and areas of great ecological and wildlife values too are being proposed for complete or partial denotification. The happenings in GHNP will only set an unhealthy and dangerous precedent for others to follow.

It is being proved and accepted all over the world that large storage dams are economically and ecologically unviable. Himachal Pradesh is in an ideal position to undertake small, micro hydel, run of the mill projects that will cause very little damage of any kind, besides generating as much if not more power and other benefits. These need to be encouraged in a major way.

I request you to urgently look into this matter and related issues before you go ahead with the proposed laying of the foundation stone of the project.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,