Dams / News

GUWAHATI, April 27 — Militant outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) has demanded an amount of Rs five lakh every year from the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC). In a release here today, Capt B Habrang, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of the NDFB, said that the outfit released NHPC engineer Amitabh Jha from its captivity yesterday with the condition that the NHPC would pay a ‘donation’ of Rs five lakh every year. Jha was abducted on May 14 last year when he was on his way to Guwahati from Gaylegphu in Bhutan. The NDFB release said that the other conditions...

NEW DELHI, April 23 — Even as the North Eastern States reel under severe power cuts, at least 18 hydropower projects with an installed capacity of 25,890 MW in the Brahmaputra and Barak River basins are still on papers, mired in bureaucratic wrangles at the Centre. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Power, Jayawanti Mehta said that present detailed project reports are being prepared for the 18 hydropower projects. Out of these, five projects with an aggregate capacity of 359 MW are ongoing schemes. Besides, Central Electricity Authority has cleared four hydropower...

IMPHAL, April 18 –The Citizens Concern for Dams and Development(CCDD), a common platform of various bodies belonging to different communities, has strongly reacted to Chief Minister O Ibobi’s statement on the proposed construction of controversial Tipaimukh dam. The convenor of the common body and an eminent Naga women activist Aram Pamei while talking to reporters at the white palace hotel here said that the recent statement of the Chief Minister is “totally against interest of the people”.

Quoting reports Pamei said, ‘‘He should not make such a statement if he really felt the sentiment...

NEW DELHI, April 10— The 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Power Project is scheduled to be completed within seven years of procuring investment approval. The National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) is currently looking for investment approval. The Project estimated to cost Rs 6,608.68 crore is to be located near North Lakhimpur on Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The Project received techno-economic clearance by Central Electricity Authority on January 31. However, environment and forest clearance is awaited, Minister of State for Power, Jayawanti Mehta said.

GUWAHATI, March 17 — The first step towards setting up of the 2,000 MW Subansiri hydro-power project by the NHPC has been cleared with the State Government giving clearance for use of 856.3 hectares of reserve forest land for the project. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Minister of State for Forest Pradyut Bordoloi said that the State Government decided to give clearance for use of reserve forest land as Subansiri project would be the largest hydro-power project in the country. However, he asserted that the Government would never compromise on the interest of environment, forest and...

Imphal, February 27: A one day conference of village chiefs /NGOs of Chandel against the construction of Tipaimukh Dam" organized by Chamdil Khubul Social Welfare Arts & Culture Assn was held today at the Community Hall of Chamdil Khubul. Some of the important participants at the conference included the village chiefs of Japhou, Chandel Khullen, representatives of Anal Naga Taongpi, ANTA, RDS, Christian Social Devt Organization, CKSWA-CA, UTDP, UNC-M Chandel, RTC Imphal, WAD Imphal and Zeliangrong Women Union. Deliberating on the pros and cons of the Tipaimukh Dam, the participants at the...

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 – Uncertainty over the 2000 MW Subansiri (Lower) hydro-electricity project may be finally over with the project likely to get the all-important Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair (CCEA) clearance by next month-end. The project – part of the Prime Minister’s economic package – has been hanging in limbo for past few years caught in bureaucratic wrangles in Delhi and problems with environmental groups back in Arunachal Pradesh. But that is over with the Central government already deciding to do away with the pre-Public Investment Board (pre-PIB) clearance. The project...

GUWAHATI, Feb 20 — Dilly-dally by the State Forest Department in allotting the required 285 hectare shallow water sandbank (riverbed shoal) to the National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) to facilitate commencement of construction of 2000-MW Subansiri Lower Basin Hydroelectric Power Project has raised many a eye-brows in authorities concerned.

Peeved at the delay on part of the State Forest Department to allot the riverbed shoal, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has set March 15, 2003 deadline for issuing clearance for allotment of the riverbed portion to NHPC which...

GUWAHATI, Feb 17 — There is good news for private sector power companies willing to venture into the North East India which is considered the power house of the country given its tremendous hydro-power potential. The South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) is interested in financing privately-owned hydro-power projects, both mega and mini varieties, in the region.

Talking to this newspaper, Dr Anton de Wilde, the Programme Manager of the SEDF, informed that the SEDF was already in consultation with Tata Power which has shown interest in setting up hydro-electricity projects in the...

Imphal, Febuary 15: The Power minister Phungzathang Tonsing today appealed to all without to cooperate with the government in construction of the Tipaimukh dam project so that the state could benefit from the project. Out of the 1500 MW of power the state government will be getting 12 percent of power free he said. The government will not construct the dam without considering the ecological, environmental and all other aspects he assured. The government will properly conduct survey so that people will not have any grievances. Compensation will be given equally to all the people affected he...