Imphal, Jan. 27: The movement against the proposed Tipaimukh dam across the Barak has gained momentum over the past few days in Manipur. Residents of villages that would be affected by the project strongly demanded cancellation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the state government and the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco).
The Manipur government signed the MoU recently for the Rs 5,255.7-crore project and issued gazette notification to launch construction. The project will generate 1500 MW, of which Manipur will get 12 per cent free.
The Committee Against the Tipaimukh Dam organised protest rallies at three different places on Friday in Tamenglong district, which would be worst affected by the project. Leaders of several organisations of the district submitted a memorandum to chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, urging him to drop the proposed project.
The memorandum said the project would deprive residents of 90 villages of their livelihood while 30 of the villages would be submerged completely by the project.
?The cost of Rs 5255.7 crore of the proposed Tipaimukh dam is nothing in comparison to the cost of land, paddy fields, vegetable farms, fruit farms and other natural resources, which would be lost forever if the dam is constructed,? it said. ?Moreover the diversion of National Highway 53 (60 km of the highway will be submerged under water) will also deprive the villagers of their livelihood.?
Stating that Manipur comes under generic hotspot zones of the world, it warned that threatened species like hornbills, white tigers, elephants and several other kinds of flora and fauna would also be destroyed.