Talking to media persons in this connection during a press meet, the Naga People Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Committee on Land Natural Resource (COLNR), Hmar Students’ Association (HAS), Citizen Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) and Action Committee Against Tipaimukh Dam (ACTIP), questioned whether the move made by the government was on the basis of vested interest and strongly condemned the decision adding the issue is not only of Manipur but an inter state issue and the international one too.
According to the representatives of the organizations, the government must take the opinion of the society, consent of the people to be affected and questioned as to why the issue can not be discussed in the Manipur Assembly adding that it has been rejected by past governments. They also alleged that there has been no assessment for the affected sections till date.
Co-convenor of ACTIP Bikramjit said the step of the government was like an invitation for another mass uprising to the people as the project is not only a loss for hill district but the entire state and added that the anti Dam organisation are prepared for any confrontation if the government forcibly proceed with its proposed plan.
“Today’s meeting of the government with the companies was without the consent of the people as well as with the representatives of our affected area” said Joseph Hmar, vice president, HAS and added that the act is a bypass of the people to be affected as they are still opposed to the project.
The anti Dam organisations further asserted that the project would be a more loss than benefit and clarify that the 1500 MW project as mentioned frequently was a misinterpretation. The 1500 MW was only the installation capacity of the Project (the combined generation of the turbine proposed to be installed) however the actual power generation out of the project would be only around 420 MW of which about 10 percent would be for the state and opined that the Manipur have to cost a district for minimal power generation from this project, said the anti Dam activist.
Further they disclosed that different organisations have long been resisting the Tipaimukh Dam construction as testified by the peoples protest during five public hearings held for the proposed Dam, during foundation stone lying by the power minister of India, Sushil Kumar Shinde on 15 December 2006, at the grating of techno economic clearance in 2002 and the environmental clearance by the ministry of environment and forest in 2008.
The reason cited included government and the project authorities, formerly the NEEPCO, and the new authorities, the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), the Sutlej Jal Vidyoot Nigam Limited and the government of Manipur still fails to address the multifaceted impacts of the proposed Dam.
The proposed involvement of NHPC in Tipaimukh Dam is unfortunate they said as the NHPC has been irresponsible and lacks accountability in Loktak Lake Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project given the fact that the project has led to economic, social and environment devastation. It indeed is unfortunate for NHPC to claim that the affected villagers of Loktak have been fully compensated as the mater still remains unresolved in the court even after almost three decades commissioning the project.
A holistic thorough assessment of the possible impact of the Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project with the participation of the affected people both in Manipur, Assam and further down in Bangladesh should precede any decision on Tipaimukh Dam and that the project should not commence without the free prior and informed consent of all affected peoples in upstreeams and downstream portions of Barak River. The decision making framework recommendation by the world Commission on Dams, respecting rights of people, ensuring their participation, option assessment should guide the decision making of Tipaimukh Dam, said the representatives of the organizations.