Imphal, May 02: The Action Committee Against Tipaimukh Project (ACTIP) reiterated its opposition to the anti-people and ecocidal Tipaimukh project.

ACTIP also strongly condemned the attitude by the Government of Manipur blindly following the "Delhi masters" instead of listening to people's voice by revoking the MoU signed with NEEPCO.

It said that the Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Basin and Hydroelectric (EAC) under Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India under heavy pressure from Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has twice rejected the misleading data, and false information furnished by NEEPCO for granting of Environment Clearance of the Project in its sitting on 24 November 2006 and 22 February 2007.The quality, incompetency and real intention of deceiving the peoples by NEEPCO was exposed once again.

Only 5 percent of power assured to Manipur i.e.about 20 MW at the cost of 8,935 sq.

km of area displacing thousands of tribal and indigenous peoples from their homes is simply unacceptable.

ACTIP demands that the Tipaimukh Project be dropped for good and the MoU revoked .

ACTIP has decided to intensify democratic agitations beginning tomorrow.

In the first phase, massive sit-in-protest all over Imphal and adjoining area will be launched, said the ACTIP adding that non cooperation to re-surveying work on Tipaimukh Project as demanded by EAC Tipaimukh Project will be launched beginning from today.

Any untoward incidents that occur shall be sole responsibility of the State Govt and NEEPCO, warned ACTIP.

In a similar vein, The Naga frontal organisations comprising of the United Naga Council (UNC), All Naga Students Association Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Women Union Manipur (NWUM) and Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) today highlighted several alleged lapses and manipulations in the concerned authority's reports for the construction of Tipaimukh dam.

According to the Naga frontal organisations, the proposed construction of the Tipaimukh project is in violated of the internationally accepted norms saying that construction of any dam at earthquake prone zones is strictly prohibited. The Naga civil bodies also cited that the reports of the North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) which stated that the dam site is a ' barren land'.

Terming this report as baseless and false since the proposed Tipaimukh project area falls under bio-diversity hot spot area with rich flora and fauna including medicinal plants.

Elaborating their claim, the Naga civil bodies said that in 2005 two full grown Royal Bengal tigers were killed in the area besides providing natural habitat for indigenous hornbills.

The Naga organisations also rued that the people living in that area are depending their livelihood on the forest.

Once the Tipaimukh dam is constructed almost all the land will be submerged along with its rich flora and fauna.

On the other hand, all the concern authorities did not take ' free prior and informed consent' from the affected people of the area, they noted.

While pointing out the manipulation in the MoU signed between NEEPCO and the State Government, the Naga organisations asserted that during the tenure of Nipamacha as the Chief Minister in 2003, survey work was ordered to ascertain the merits and demerits of the Tipaimukh project along with NEEPCO representatives.

At that time 12% power was supplied to the State but later during the laying of foundation stone of Tipaimukh project, Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde guaranteed only 5 % power, which is totally in contravention to the MOU.

Meanwhile, the Naga frontal organisations have pledge to take up various forms of democratic agitations and any untoward incident coming out of the re-survey will be the responsibilities of the Government.

Comment