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Saturday, July 23, 2011

NHPC’s unreliability convinces people and panchayats from 5 GPUs to boycott Stage-IV public hearing

PEOPLE DEMAND SATISFACTORY EXECUTION OF STAGE-V COMMITMENTS AND ON-RECORD UNDERTAKINGS FOR STAGE-IV FIRST

GANGTOK, 21 July: Affected people and panchayats from five GPUs in Dzongu – Lingthem-Lingdem, Sakyong-Pentong, Shipgyer, Namok-Swaayam and Lum-Gaur Sangtok – today announced their decision to boycott the public hearing called for Friday for the Teesta Stage-IV hydel project proposed to be developed by NHPC. A total of seven GPUs in Dzongu will be affected by the hydel project.
A press release issued jointly by the said panchayats informs that this decision followed from a meeting held yesterday to discuss issues relating to the public hearing. The meeting unanimously resolved to place a demand for redressal of commitments and assurances made by the NHPC for Stage-V [already commissioned at Dikchu further downstream from Stage-IV]. Deciding not to participate in the public hearing for Stage-IV, the meeting instead drafted a letter listing the undelivered assurances by the hydel developer in relation of Stage-V and submit it to the Chairman, Public Hearing Panel, 520 MW Teesta Stage-IV before the public hearing begins.

The letter, a copy of which was circulated among the media today, opens by clarifying that the affected people of Dzongu and their panchayat representatives have welcomed Stage-IV, but have been aggrieved by NHPC’s track-record of unreliability in living up to commitments made at public hearings or delivering on conditions imposed on it even by the Ministry of Environment & Forests. This, they highlight drawing from the experience of Teesta Stage-V at Dikchu.
The letter stresses that NHPC has not met even the terms and conditions reflected in the MoU signed between the State Government and NHPC for Stage-V.
“Such an act of NHPC has compelled us to rethink before we extend support and give our final consent to commence the work on Teesta Stage-IV,” the letter details.
They propose to demand that before the public hearing begins, NHPC give its clarification on a set of 11-points drafted out unanimously by the affected people.
“As highlighted above, we would like to reiterate that unless we receive a satisfactory reply and execute all the commitments and assurance given by the NHPC immediately, we have no option left but to boycott the Public Hearing instantly,” the letter, signed by panchayat representatives of the 5 affected GPUs, concludes.
The list of grievances open with mention of a road and a model village which the NHPC had assured to construct at Lum in Lower Dzongu. This was for Stage-V about seven years ago, but no action has been taken towards implementing it.
The letter next points out that public ground at Namprikdang is central to all religious, social and cultural celebrations of the people of Dzongu. This ground is getting “destroyed” by fluctuations in the river along whose banks it sits, and the people have been requesting NHPC to take appropriate steps to protect the area but no visibly efforts have been made.
The State Government, the letter adds, has specifically assured that the ground will not be submerged, damaged or affected by the project. The people now want to know what “assurance and protective and remedial work” is planned.
The damming and diversion of the river have pushed rare species of fish found in Dzongu to the brink of extinction, the letter points out, adding that these fish are also a part of the regions socio-cultural identity and required by Bongthings for rituals. “And therefore, we would like to know what action is initiated by NHPC so far to protect and conserve this rare species of fish found in Dzongu area,” the letter seeks.
The letter also demands answers for why funds committed by NHPC for construction of an ITI at Rang-Rang in North Sikkim, land for which has already been acquired by the State Government, not been transferred to the Power Department thus far.
Pointing out Dikchu’s experience with shoddy rim treatment works at the Stage-V reservoir which is imperilling habitations around the reservoir, the Stage-IV affected are now demanding that the “entire area covering length, breadth and height should be protected by constructing RCC Wall so that erosion of land could be prevented under Teesta Stage-IV project”.
Not willing to run with assurances alone, the people have demanded that funds for such protective measures be “clearly reflected” in the DPR “for our satisfaction and in the public interest”.
Teasing out another commitment announced by NHPC for Stage-V, the letter demands to know how many students from Dzongu constituency have benefitted from Stage-V so far. They have sought details of amount sanctioned for each student.
The letter also demands the complete list [with job specification] of the number of people from Dzongu provided employment by the NHPC. Similar details are sought on the number of contractors from Dzongu who have been awarded contract works by NHPC thus far.
NHPC’s efforts to “promote and preserve” socio-cultural heritage of affected people from the three communities of Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali have also been sought, in detail.
The letter further contends that the cadastral surveys of 1976 and 1977 had not been carried out properly in Dzongu and points out that a major portion of the land is under dispute. “Hence, we have already requested the Government to make a Re-Cadastral survey of land under Dzongu. Considering the present status of land, we would like to know what is the view and solution of NHPC for setting the Compensation of land falling under the disputed area for the Project?” the letter enquires.
The stand of the affected people made clear, it remains to be seen how the public hearing scheduled for Friday plays out.


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