Work at Loktak Downstream to start soon

Imphal, January 13: With the Centre agreeing to provide adequate security, work at the Loktak Downstream is poised to kick off soon. The Loktak Downstream has been stalled for the last couple of years over payment of land compensation and security cover. Disclosing this, a source from the State Power Department said that the Centre gave the assurance to provide adequate security cover during a meeting held at New Delhi in December last year. The meeting presided by the Secretary (Power) Government of India, RV Shahi was attended by AK Jain, Additional Power Secretary, Anil Razdan, Joint Secretary (Hydro) and PK Tripathi (Hydro) from the Centre's side while Chief Secretary AP Sharma, State Power Commissioner Dr Rajeshkumar, and HB Singh, SE (Planning) represented the State Government at the meeting. Citing numerous cases of disturbances from armed persons, the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), which has been entrusted with the task of taking up the work, had demanded the deployment of at least 4 Bn of either the CRPF or the BSF to provide security cover. Following this the State Government had approached the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide at least 2 Bns of CRPF as well as to bear the related expenditure. The meeting agreed that the Centre would provide the security cover while accommodating the security personnel would be the responsibility of NHPC. The meeting also agreed to change the route to the dam site from the one mentioned in the project report. The route will now take the Bishnupur to Nungba road, further informed the source. A combined team of the State Power Department and NHPC officials have conducted a survey of the area where the route will run through. Construction of the road will be taken up by the NEC. The cost of the project has also been revised by NHPC and slashed appreciably. The tentative cost of the project was previously worked out at Rs 758 crores but that has been slashed following the revision. The unit cost rate has also been slashed. Estimated to generate 90 MW, the project is stipulated to be completed within 78 months including 18 months of the pre-construction period. Work at the project will start as soon as the security forces are provided. Mention may be made here that NHPC had started testing the soil for digging a tunnel of the project but the work had to be aborted following disturbances and interferences by armed persons.