Indian ministry not keen

The Indian environment ministry is hesitating to give clearance to the Tipaimukh hydroelectricity project in the northeastern state of Manipur on ecological grounds as it involves felling of 78 lakh trees and 27,000 bamboo columns.

The construction of the proposed 1500-megawatt Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project downstream of the confluence of river Barak and the Tuivai in Manipur would lead to massive

Tipaimukh dam

destruction of ecology, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting officials concerned.

The Tipaimukh project has evoked widespread concerns in Bangladesh which is apprehensive that it would affect the availability of water for the lower riparian country.

India led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has repeatedly assured Bangladesh that New Delhi will not do anything that would harm the interests of Dhaka.

India has insisted that the Tipaimukh is a run-of-the-river project and does not entail diversion of water.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), an Environment Ministry panel, has recommended clearance of the Rs 9211-crore project located near Manipur-Mizoram border, official sources said.

However, a final decision on the project is to be taken by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan.

According to sources, the environment ministry is hesitant to grant clearance to the project as it feels that no compensatory mechanism would help in mitigating the loss caused by felling of forests --a habitat of endangered species-- from a huge area.

Implementation of project would lead to chopping of over 78 lakh trees and 27,000 bamboo columns from over 25,000 hectares of forest land in the state, officials said.

Green activists say these forests are critical habitats of many endangered species including barking deer, gibbons, leopards, grey sibia, serow and the rufous-necked hornbill--the state bird of Manipur.

The project was signed in October 2011 in the presence of then Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde (now India’s Home Minister), Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and top National Hydro Power Company (NHPC) officials.

It is being executed as a joint venture of the NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and the Manipur government.

The project envisages construction of 162.80 metre high rock fill dam, with annual estimated generation of 3,805.74 million units in a 90 percent dependable year with an installed capacity of 6X250 MW, with firm power generation of 434.44 MW.