The first Anti-Dam moment was started by the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya from in the protest of the Britishers, who were constructing dam over the Ganga at Bheemgoda at Haridwar. which was targeted against the diverted flow of River Ganga.
The Britishers wanted to draw water from the northern channel into a canal. Forthis purpose they wanted to make a barrage so that water could be forced through the northern channel. Malviyaji apposed this project saying that water supplied to the northern channel after the water was held in a reservoir behind thr barrage would not be pure because it would stagnate behind the barrage.
It was then agreed by the Bristish Government that the water in the northern channel will flow without any gates. Thus the Barrage was made below the offtake into the northern channel as seen in the picture below.
The Agreement also provided that “No steps beyond those will be taken without prior consultation with the Hindu community”. The copy of the agreement is shown below.
The detailed study of the agreement held in 1917 is attached here
The senior representative of the Hindu community is the four Shankrscharya. All the Shankaracharayas have said clearly that no Barrages should be made on the Ganga. StatemenT by the Shankaracharyas are placed here: Shri Bharti Teerath ji, Nischalanand ji and Swaroopanand ji is attached here.
The GOI has made two major violations of the 1917 Agreement. One, it has made many dams like Tehri and Srinagar which have converted the Ganga into stagnant pools. Two, it has not undertaken consultation with the Hindu Community as required in the Agreement.
We request to Prime Minister Modi ji that, Madan Mohan Malviya’s agreement of 1917 should be implementing by Government and constructions of dams over the Ganga River should be banned as declared by the Shankaracharayas.
