By IANS,
Ghaziabad : A third bridge over the Hindon river in the district can lead to flooding of an air force station, said a group of environmental activists led by known water conservationist Rajendra Singh during a protest here Tuesday.
The activists, protesting at the site for the bridge, accused the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department of diverting the river’s flow.
“When water starts flowing towards the air base, it will naturally move through farmers’ land destroying crops,” said Rajendra Singh, who won a Ramon Magsaysay Award for conserving water in arid Rajasthan.
“The main water stream has been deviated. It is against ecology and bio-diversity,” he said.
Vikrant Sharma, a member of Jal Biradari, said: “We had raised objections when the bridge’s foundation stone was being laid. No one paid heed. Hence we had to go the Supreme Court which referred our case to the National Green Tribunal.”
But the irrigation department continued putting mud into the river, he said.
“We objected to the third bridge since it was an environmental hazard. The land filled by sand to erect a bridge has blocked the flow and forced the river to change its course endangering the strategically placed air force base,” said Rajendra Singh.