After strongly rebutting Jairam Ramesh’s suggestion for a review of all hydropower projects in North Eastern states, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu on Tuesday met the Environment Minister to explain how such a review would adversely affect his state.
Khandu informed Jairam that concerns of Assam on the downstream impacts of hydropower projects in Arunachal were highly exaggerated since only two of the projects in his state actually involved construction of dams. The rest were run-of-the-river projects which offered no threat to people downstream.
Khandu also invited Jairam to come to his state and have a first hand assessment of the projects that are in the making. Jairam told The Indian Express he would go to Arunachal on November 12 and 13.
Following a visit to Assam last month, Jairam wrote to the Prime Minister suggesting that there was largescale opposition to hydropower projects in the North Eastern region in the light of which all the proposed projects needed to be reviewed. Quoting an NGO, he also told the PM that some people wanted Delhi to stop making Arunachal Pradesh, which has a large number of hydropower projects, a playground between India and China.
Khandu, who had reacted strongly to Jairam’s suggestion, said some “misunderstandings” needed to be cleared. “The issue will be resolved in the national interest. There have been some misunderstandings which will be cleared,” he told The Indian Express.
Khandu was appreciative of the fact that the Environment Ministry had cleared the hydropower project in the Siang river basin. He also said he was satisfied that on Monday, the ministry cleared 11 road projects in his state. Khandu said he would speak to the Assam Chief Minister as well to resolve the differences between the two states.
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