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Friday, January 17, 2014

High Powered Committee to re-examine termination of 3 HEPs in North Sikkim

GANGTOK, 12 Jan: The scrapping of three hydro-electric projects proposed for North Sikkim is being re-examined. MoUs with the respective project developers had been cancelled by the Power Department sometime in June 2012. The state government has set up a committee to examine these hydro-electric projects in North Sikkim afresh.
Officials inform that a High Powered Committee had been set up under the Chief Secretary to examine the projects “from all angles and take an informed decision on the matter”. Besides the Chief Secretary, also included in this high powered committee are Secretary, Forest, Finance, the Development Commissioner and the Secretary, Power as Member Secretary. This was following a direction of the High Court to the Chief Secretary to allow the aggrieved project developer an opportunity of a hearing.
In turn, the CS has forwarded the matter for consideration of the high powered committee which will take a final decision on the matter. Last December the project developer also had a meeting with the CS following which this committee was given the above reference.
The affected project developers and hydel projects are the Lachung Hydropower Private Ltd which was engaged in the development of the 99 MW Lachung HEP on the Lachungchu; Teesta Hydropower which was engaged in the development of the 99MW Bhimkyong HEP also on the Lachungchu at Bhimkyong village, North Sikkim and Chungthang Hydropower which was engaged in the development of 99 MW Bop HEP also on the Lachungchu in Bop village. The Lachungchu is a tributary of the Teesta and these projects are located upstream from the 1,200 MW Teesta Stage III being developed by Teesta Urja at Chungthang. Earlier while terminating these projects state government officials had informed of a host of factors behind the decision to scrap the projects. These included disinterest of the affected people and the post-18 September Earthquake apprehensions along with the potential environmental impact.
Following the termination, the project developers had approached the High Court of Sikkim with their respective petitions seeking withdrawal of the termination order. It had been brought to the notice of the court that the order of termination was not a “speaking order” and had been passed with reasons assigned in the government file or in the relevant Cabinet decision. While the decision and order to terminate the project was made by the government, no copy of it was forwarded to the company. In other words the decision was not communicated to the petitioning company.
Following this, the Court had directed the state to afford the petitioner an opportunity of hearing and directed the Chief Secretary to consider the matter herself or assign it for consideration before a Committee.

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