Imphal, Jul 11: Nungba Citizen's Council has expressed deep concern over the ominous silence maintain by the Govt of Manipur and the NHPC in connection with the construction of the proposed Loktak Downstream HE Project over Leimatak river at Taosang Khunou in Nungba sub-division of Tamenglong district.

In a statement, Council president M Hoinailung drew the attention of the Government, specially the Chief Minister and the Power Minister to look into the matter to save the project from being shelved.

The Council further urged the Chief Secretary Jarnail Singh during whose stint as Joint Secretary in Prime Minister's Office that the project had been included in the PM's North East package to make a personal intervention in the matter.

Dwelling on the genesis of the project, Hoinailung said originally proposed and planned by the State Power Department, the project was later included by the then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in 1997 in the PM's North East Package with an allocation of Rs 426 crores, which is the biggest project in the State.

However, in 1998, the Government of Manipur under the Chief Ministership of W Nipamacha Singh signed an MoU and handed over the project to National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).

Subsequently the survey of the affected areas was carried out by the district authorities of Tamenglong district and proposed Rs 68 crores as compensation.

But the Government of Manipur did not accept the amount and after making an aerial survey, the Chief Minister on October 15, 200 announced at Noney that the Government was ready for negotiation with the land owners so that the NHPC and the BRO could start with the project work accordingly.

Unfortunately, some pro-Congress land owners went to the High Court raising objection to the reduction of the amount of compensation and the High Court passed an injunction and all works related to the project stopped.

The efforts made by subsequent Governments and the Power Ministers concerned have also not been able to resolved the matter, the statement added.

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