NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Clearing the confusion, Union Power Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde said the Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) on hydro power development has submitted its report and Action Taken Note to the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR).
The IMG was constituted to evolve a suitable framework to guide and accelerate the development of hydro power in North East. The Group has Secretary MoWR as the chairman and Secretaries in the Ministry of Power, Environment and Forest and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), as members, besides Principal Secretary in the PMO.
Replying to a question, the Minister said Tipaimukh Project is on and various clearances including the Forest Land acquisition, Environment clearances have been obtained. “I don’t think there would be any problem in construction of Tipaimukh Project,” he assured.
About capacity addition to the Loktak Project, the Minister said Loktak Project – II is under active consideration of the Government.
Shinde, who was addressing the Economic Editors Conference here on Tuesday, said that the IMG submitted its report in Februaruy. The Action Taken Note on the recommendations of the IMG Report was sent to MoWR.
The report was discussed in Prime Minister’s Office on August 12 and the Action Taken Note was also discussed, the Minister added.
The Ministerial-level meeting on the hydro power projects of North East, however, ran into trouble and the PMO deferred it indefinitely. The meeting after being postponedtwice was finally put on hold on October 18.
Shinde, meanwhile, strongly advocated harnessing hydro power potential of the Himalayan rivers. The Himalayan Range that includes, the North- eastern region, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand has the capacity to generate 1.50 lakh MW of hydro power. But till now only 35,000-36,000 MW have been tapped, he said.
The Minister, who described hydro power as cleaner and cheaper source of power, however, acknowledged the dangers posed by construction of tunnels in high seismic zones. Shinde’s reply was in connection with dangers of construction of hydro power projects on Alakananda river.
Assam Tribune
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