CM calls meet on Tipaimukh on Feb 4
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 28 2010: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has convened a meeting with all stake-holder companies on February 4 regarding initiation of work on the controversial Tipaimukh Multi-Purpose Hydro Power Project.

This was stated by SC Shahni, Chief Engineer of NHPC's Chief Loktak Hydro Electric Project during an exclusive meeting with two senior journalists of the Editors' Guild and this reporter today.

The two senior journalists of the Editors' Guild are currently at Imphal to collect first hand account of the challenges and difficulties being posed to journalists of the State from different quarters.

The Tipaimukh Multi-Purpose Hydro Power Project is a joint venture of the NHPC, the Sutlej Jal Vidyoot Nigam Limited and the State Government.

The NHPC has 69 per cent stake in the project as the Sutlej Jal Vidyoot Nigam Limited and the State Government share 26 per cent and 5 percent stakes respectively.

The Barak river runs in its full glory, where the Tipaimukh Dam is to come up

Saying that the project has not been completely taken over by NHPC from NEEPCO, the Chief Engineer said that they have already received a letter from NEEPCO which said that they would not take responsibility for the machinery and materials now put at the work site after January 16 .

Confiding that the project can be completed within 6/7 years, SC Shahni said that the Tipaimukh Project got techno-economic clearance in 2002 and Environmental Clearance in 2008 .

Delay in executing the project has only led to escalation in the project costs.

The project would not affect any village or household but it would submerge 2550 hectares of forest area, the Chief Engineer said.

Bangladeshi teams have come twice to Manipur to make spot assessment of the Tipaimukh dam site but they could not proceed till the site due to inclement weather.

The project would serve multiple purposes of flood control, water navigation and power generation, he said.

Even as the installed capacity of Loktak Hydro Electric Project is 105 mega watt, the project could not generate power up to this capacity after renovation of machines.

However, all those affected by the project have been already compensated, Shahni claimed.

Saying that some works on the Loktak Downstream Project having installed capacity of 66 MW can been seen by March/April this year, he informed that the project is a joint venture of the State Government and the NHPC sharing 26 per cent and 74 percent of the total investment respectively.

The Loktak Downstream Project of estimated cost Rs 635 crores is set for completion within 5 years.

The fear of affecting 43 households by the project no longer exists as the project would feed on a barrage rather than a dam as planned earlier, he added.