Dehradun: The Haridwar administration on Wednesday forcibly admitted environmentalist Prof GD Agarwal alias Swami Gyanswarup Sanand at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), ending his 111-day fast to protest against hydel power projects on Ganga.
The former IIT professor, who is 87-year-old, had been agitating since June, demanding that Ganga river should flow without any disruption and all ongoing hydro power projects on the Ganga basin should be stopped.
Sanand has also been demanding the implementation of Ganga Protection and Management Act.
Protesting against the administration’s move to forcibly disrupt his agitation, Sanand said officials have no right to end his fast in this fashion.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Manish Kumar said the administration held several rounds of deliberations with the fasting seer, but in vain.
“We were concerned about the deteriorating health condition of the seer and therefore he (Sanand) has been admitted (to AIIMS),” the official said. A day before, Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank” also met the fasting seer.
Swami Sanand was a member of the National River Ganga Basin Authority during the UPA tenure. In 2010, he fasted for 38 days, seeking scrapping of the 600 MW Lohari Nagpala project on Bhagirathi River as it “hampers” the free flow of Ganga water. Later, a three-member group of ministers scrapped the project.
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