No hasty decision on construction of Tipaimukh dam: Pala
July 16th, 2010 - 9:13 pm ICT by IANS
Shillong, July 16 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H. Pala Friday said opinions of all sections of people will be taken into consideration on the proposed construction of the 1,500-MW Tipaimukh hydel power project in Manipur.
The mega-power project, one of the largest in northeastern India, is vital for meeting the increasing electricity demand in the region but has been opposed by environmental groups and opposition parties in Bangladesh.
“Views of the local indigenous people in those areas will be taken into consideration on the project,” Pala told reporters here.
However, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh told legislators in the state assembly July 12 that his government was committed to go ahead with the controversial Tipaimukh project.
The public sector power utilities National Hydroelectric Power Corp (NHPC) and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) would develop the Rs.8,138-crore Tipaimukh project.
The project, located on the Barak river in western Manipur, is under attack from opposition parties and environmental groups in Bangladesh, which say it could cause desertification downstream in their country.
Part of the Brahmaputra river system, the Barak bifurcates into the Surma and Kushiyara rivers on entering Sylhet district in eastern Bangladesh.
The Sinlung Indigenous People Human Rights Organisation (SIPHRO), an anti-dam group in Manipur maintained that any plans to build large hydro dams should take into consideration the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD).
“Indigenous peoples in different parts of the world have already disappeared due to sea-water rise and erosion and have also become environmental refugees due to big dams,” SIPHRO Secretary Lalremlien Neitham said.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia had sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to abandon the project.
A 10-member Bangladeshi parliamentary delegation conducted an aerial survey of the Tipaimukh dam last July after opposition over the hydel project’s possible ecological impact intensified in Dhaka.
“Even the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) has categorically assured that no hasty decision will be taken on the issue. India will take into confidence Dhaka before going ahead with the project, so as not to hamper the friendly India-Bangladesh ties,” Pala said.
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- Bangladeshi envoy to visit India over dam project issue (Lead) - Nov 24, 2011
- Khaleda Zia writes to Manmohan over Tipaimukh Dam project - Nov 23, 2011
- Bangladeshi delegation visits Manipur to assess hydel project - Jul 31, 2009
- Manipur dam will not harm Bangladesh, says India - Jul 02, 2009
- Bangladesh team to visit Manipur, assess hydel project - Jul 13, 2009
- Stop building Tipaimukh dam, Zia writes to Manmohan Singh - Jun 23, 2009
- India allays Bangladesh's Tipaimukh concerns - Dec 02, 2011
- Tipai team leaves for India - Jul 29, 2009
- Withdraw Indian envoy: Dhaka opposition - Jun 24, 2009
- India assures Bangladesh on Tipaimukh project - Nov 22, 2011
- Dhaka vows to resolve Tipaimukh dam issue with Delhi - Oct 08, 2009
- Confident India will do nothing harmful on river project: Bangladesh - Jun 20, 2009
- BNP to take up Tipaimukh issue with foreign governments - Jul 10, 2009
Tags: bangladesh nationalist party, barak river, brahmaputra river, eastern bangladesh, electricity demand, environmental refugees, human rights organisation, hydel power, hydro dams, indian prime minister, indian prime minister manmohan singh, khaleda zia, local indigenous people, manmohan singh, northeastern india, opposition parties, parliamentary delegation, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, world commission on dams