Concerned over almost six years of delay in NHPC's ambitious Dibang hydel power project in Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh, the Power Ministry in an effort to fast track environmental clearances for it, has now approached the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI).
Sources with direct knowledge of the development told The Pioneer that the Power Ministry plans to take the matter to the CCI “as soon as possible” since the 3,000 mw project for which the foundation stone was laid in January 2008 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is yet to take off owing to stiff riders put up by the Environment Ministry, which had in fact earlier this year denied forest clearance to it.
They said that the project was to be commissioned by 2017 but even almost six years after the foundation stone was laid for it, no work has begun on it and even if work does start, then it will take 10 years for the project to get completed.
An official said that considering the significance of the project - as it is coming up in a geographically and politically sensitive area like Arunachal Pradesh, considering its proximity to China - the ministry has been left with no other option but to approach the CCI, as the delays in environmental clearances has taken up a lot of time, leading to cost overruns worth thousands of crores of rupees.
Official sources on their part added that when the CCI has been set up as a single window system with the mandate of expediting clearances to big ticket infrastructure projects which are essential for the nation's growth, then by approaching it, the Power Ministry is only seeking to put the Dibang project on the fast track.
The Power Ministry, they added, has been regularly writing to the Environment Ministry on expediting the environmental clearances, however owing to some very adverse reports by the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC of the Environment Ministry) - which had met in July this year - the Green Ministry had denied forest clearance to the project.
The FAC had said that owing to large requirement of forest land for the project, the impact on the local ecology would be quite serious and in the long run the fragile ecosystem of the mountainous region could be adversely impacted. In its report, the FAC had apparently mentioned that the project entails cutting down of around 3 lakh trees.
Apart from the tough views of the Environment Ministry, there has been a lot of local pressure against NHPC's Dibang hydel project within Arunachal Pradesh too as several civil rights groups have been seeking its cancellation.
Owing to all these impediments, the Dibang project which was to kick start by end of the ongoing 12th Plan period, is now likely to take off only during the 13th Plan period.
According to local media reports emanating from Arunachal Pradesh, the pact between State-owned NHPC and Arunachal Pradesh Government had been signed in 2007, however owing to local opposition, the public hearing on the matter got cancelled on 14 occasions, and it was only this year in March that it was finally held in Roing.
The reports further said that FAC in its recommendations, had observed that no study was conducted to assess the cumulative impact of all the reservoirs as well as the upstream and downstream impacts of the overall project.