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| Arunachal keen on Lower Subansiri project |
| Supratim Dey / Kolkata/ Guwahati Aug 13, 2010, 00:44 IST |
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A day after Arunachal Pradesh chief minister made a rather unexpected statement that mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh would be beneficial for Assam, as those would end perennial flood problem for the state, today the state's power minister, Jarbom Gamli, opined that the Arunachal government was keen to see that the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri hydro project sees the light of the day.
Today, speaking at North-East Power Minsiters' Meet, Assam power minister Pradyut Bordoloi asked the Arunachal Pradesh government to tread the path of constructing mega dams cautiously.
He said "reckless" construction of big dams in Arunachal Pradesh might spell trouble of downstream Assam.
Gamli preferred to pass the buck on the Centre by saying that the mega dams were cleared by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and, hence, the state had limited role to play. But Gamli added: "The project is already suffering cost and time overrun. My government is interested to see that the project sees the light of the day."
The Lower Subansiri Project, being developed by NHPC Ltd., has been under attack from various circles in Assam for the perceived threat to downstream areas in the state and also for the degrade of surrounding ecology. Even the Assam government had voiced its concern at several platforms over construction of mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh.
A recent expert committee report, which had expressed its reservations against mega dams in upper reaches of Brahmaputra and specifically the Lower Subansiri Project, has led to a wave of anti-dam protests in the state. The agitating organisations are demanding immediate suspension of the works of the project. Recently, the Assam government cleared the air by stating that it would not sign the MoU with NHPC Ltd. for construction of the Lower Subansiri Project until and unless the concerns were fully addressed. "Only when we are fully convinced and comfortable that the proposed dam will not have any adverse impact on downstream Assam, we will sign the MoU with NHPC," said Bordoloi.
A partion of the Rs 6,400-crore Lower Subansiri Project falls in Assam and the rest in Arunachal Pradesh. The MoU with Arunachal Pradesh government had been signed; following which construction on that side of the border is presently undergoing. Bordoloi said that the inter-ministerial group, formed by the prime ministers' office (PMO) had submitted a report in March 2010, should take up further studies to assess the impact of the Lower Subansiri Project on downstream Assam.
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