ZANGTI KULANG
Origin
In February and March 2021, SJVN Limited - the company in charge of the construction of the proposed Jangi Thopan Powari Hydro-electric Project was called for a meeting with people from six affected Gram Panchayats by the administration of Kinnaur. The 804 MW run of the river project proposes to Harnes the hydel potential of Satluj.
People largely expressed their concerns and disagreements during these meetings. However, we felt that our voices were being suppressed in an attempt to paint an all-positive picture of the proposed project.
As the youth, we strongly felt that the exigencies of the region’s future demanded our collective efforts against a common threat. On 23rd March the first attempt towards organized mobilization of the youth was made and a joint meeting of the youth clubs of Jangi, Akpa, Khadura and Rarang, took place where a consensus was built on opposing the project.
“The journey of what we are today has its own history. There have been elders from our village and outside, actively speaking against the disasters unleashed on Kinnaur by Hydropower projects, working to mitigate the problems and create awareness. It was through connecting with them and their guidance that we were able to move step by step and grow as a movement.”
Dinesh Lama, Khadura Village.
Despite people’s resistance and disagreement, the then Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur ordered the formulation of a monitoring committee for the scrutiny and prioritization of the various aspects of the proposed project. The 1st meeting of the Monitoring Committee was organized by the DC office and chaired by ADM Pooh in Akpa Forest Rest House on 23rd July. This meeting ushered in the emergence of the campaign No Means No.
“Ashutosh was airing the meeting, held on 23rd July in Akpa, live on social media. I was sitting in Chandigarh and watching the video. Slogans of “SJVNL go back” were echoing throughout the meeting. In between, a young person from the affected panchayat said in hushed tones “NoMeansNo” which was reiterated many times in the meeting by its Hindi equivalent “Nahi Chahiye”. The authorities kept asking “Do you not want the project?” And people disagreed in one voice.
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I and Ashutosh discussed it later on and he started designing a poster with “NomeansNo”. Sahil created an art piece with the tagline NoMeansNo and we shared it on Kyang. I shared a picture holding the NomeansNo poster in front of the SJVNL building in Shimla and at Mall Road Shimla. We urged others to do the same and it all became viral very fast.
Since the beginning, the women of Kinnaur have been an active part of the resistance.”
-Mahesh Ronseru, creator of Kyang
The united team of the youth clubs started visiting nearby villages, and connecting more and more people to the cause. Soon the Youth clubs from Kanam and Moorang joined in and the campaign kept expanding.
“People were fighting against the project. But it felt like they were fighting alone, for example, people in Rarang village were resisting but their efforts were in isolation. Whereas in some villages people were discussing How much monetary compensation should we get? Kinnaur has had so many Hydropower projects, many people were of the opinion that this will come no matter what. We can’t prevent things from happening. We didn't know how to respond at that time. When we met the youth clubs of other areas and all 6 panchayats started working as a team, I really liked that. Together, we got to understand things better, have learning opportunities and gain knowledge about our rights and safeguards.”
- Abhishek Wazir, Moorang Village.
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In late July and early August, two disasters that occurred one after the other shook the entire Kinnaur. On July 25th 2021, multiple landslides on the Batseri-Sangla road claimed the lives of 9 tourists and 3 people were injured. On August 11, 2021, a landslide that occurred on NH5 near the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Power project at Nigulsari buried as many as seven vehicles under the landslide, 28 people were killed and 17 were injured.
This was not the first time that people were able to associate large-scale disasters with development activities. But these two adversities united all of Kinnaur and everyone stood together with the victims and their family members. No Means No once again reverberated all across Kinnaur.