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| NTPC's Tapovan Vishnugad project hits roadblock |
| Shishir Prashant / New Delhi/ Dehra Dun Feb 08, 2010, 00:29 IST |
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After the suspension of the 600-Mw Loharinagpala project, NTPC’s 520-Mw Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand has also hit a roadblock following excessive discharge of water from the underground tunnel, forcing the government to order an inquiry.
An investment of Rs 800 crore is proposed in the project on the Dhaulganga river, a tributary of Alaknanda.
“We have ordered an inquiry into the excessive discharge of water from the project’s main tunnel,” said Joshimath SDM V Shanmugam.
The inquiry came after a group of local residents of the hilly Joshimath town submitted a memorandum to the government expressing concern over the excessive discharge of water in the underground tunnel alleging that it would create an environmental hazard in the area. The project is located nearly 1.5 km from Joshimath.
The inquiry would be conducted by technical experts of the state-run Jal Sansthan and PWD, Shanmugam said.
The work of the proposed 12-km tunnel has been suspended. Till now, the NTPC has completed nearly 3.5 km of the tunnel work.
When contacted, NTPC officials said the water discharge was gradually falling and there was no cause for worry. “Such water comes naturally in hilly areas. We are monitoring the situation constantly,” the official said. The official also asserted that experts from the Roorkee-based National Institute of Hydrology (NIC) and other agencies were looking into the matter. However, experts have so far failed to locate the exact source from where the water is coming out. Other construction works of the project like reservoir and power house remain unaffected.
The Tapovan-Vishnugad project was conceived as a merchant power project which is proposed to be commissioned by 2012.
Significantly, NTPC received a setback last year after the Centre suspended the construction work of its 600 Mw Loharinagpala under pressure from social activists, who are claiming that the project would create a negative impact on the ecology of the Bhagirathi valley in Uttarkashi district. A final decision on the Loharinagpala is still pending.
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