Tipaimukh project awaits inter-state clearance

GUWAHATI, August 18: The Rs 2,899-crore Tipaimukh dam project of the Brahmaputra Board involving three Northeast states -Manipur, Mizoram and Assam -still awaits inter-state clearance from the concerned state governments for its execution which is being pursued by the Brahmaputra Board and the ministry of water resources. The techno-economic angle of the detailed project report submitted by Brahmaputra Board was approved by the technical advisory committee of the concerned ministry in August, 1995. The cost of Rs 2,899 crore (at the 1995 price level) which would now be over Rs 3,000 crore, official sources said. The project envisages construction of a 162 metre high rockfill dam with an installed capacity of generating 1500 MW of power. Moreover, the project will provide flood protection to 1.43 lakh hectares of land located in the downstream areas in the Barak Valley of Assam. The project has already been cleared by the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, an official report said.