Development and environment can go hand in hand: Minister

Union Minister R.K. Singh on Friday said that "development and environment can go hand in hand".

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

Singh was quoted in a Ministry of Power statement as saying that hydro-power is a clean and green source of energy and that "development and environment can go hand in hand".

The NMHEP is located on the river Tons, a tributary of the Yamuna.

According to the statement, NMHEP will add 265.5 million units of renewable energy to the grid and would annually reduce CO2 emissions of 0.21 million tonnes.

"All precautions have been taken to minimise the environmental impact of the project. Compensatory afforestation will be done on double the forest land acquired for the project, with a total cost is Rs 3.74 crore," the statement said.

"A provision of Rs 1 crore has been made for construction of fishway for better fisheries management and a muck disposal plan has also been put in place to stabilise the dumping sites."

--IANS

rv/vm