Imphal, September 29: Citizens� Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) has expressed strong condemnation over the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Arunachal Pradesh Government with North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for construction of 8 mega dams of 15000 Mega watt (MW) in Arunachal Pradesh on September 21.The proposed dams for which the MoU had been signed include Tawang-I (750 MW) & II (750 MW), Middle (1600 MW) and Upper (2000 MW), Subansiri and Dibang HEP (3000 MW) to be taken up by NHPC, Etalin (4000 MW), Atunlin (500 MW) by NTPC and Kameng-1 (Bhareli-I) (1120 MW) and Pare (110 MW) to be taken up by NEEPCO.

The signing of these MoU clearly lacks a free, prior and informed consent of the people of Arunachal Pradesh in the upstream portion and Assam in the downstream portion of the rivers where the dams are to be constructed, CCDD co-chairperson Aram Pamei said in a statement today.

She said the MoU constitutes stark violations of all existing norms of dam construction, primarily the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams that called for participation of the affected people in all dam decision making process, respect of their rights and comprehensive options assessment, etc.

The statement further said, CCDD is particularly shocked that signing of the MoU is amidst the irresponsibility and failure of NEEPCO and NHPC to demonstrate any accountability to the issues of displacement, massive environmental destruction and conflicts caused by their dam projects in North East.

Citing the case of Manipur, the statement pointed out that in Manipur, NHPC continues to act irresponsibly by refusing to address the devastation of Loktak Wetlands ecosystem by its Loktak Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project commissioned in 1984 and the failure to rehabilitate thousands of people affected by the project.

NEEPCO is also aggressively pursuing to construct the Tipaimukh Dam undemocratically without taking the free, prior and informed consent of the affected people and without conducting detailed impact assessment of the Dam.

Devoid of people�s consultation and consent, NEEPCO entered a MoU with the Govt of Manipur in 2003 for construction of Tipaimukh Dam.

Although CCDD does not have any opposition to meaningful development, we are aware fully that the present development model that India is pursuing is not only destructive for the environment but will have long term consequences in the North East region, the statement asserted.

CCDD also called upon Arunachal Pradesh Government to revoke the MoU signed with NEEPCO, NHPC and NTPC and instead urged upon them to address the violations caused by their operations in Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in North East including the violations by NHPC�s Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project along Assam-Arunachal border and Loktak Multipurpose Hydroelectric Power Project in Manipur.

Comment