Centre to consider Assam interest: Goyal

Rs 10,000 cr project to strengthen power transmission & distribution works in NE

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, April 9: Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said here that the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri hydro power project along the Assam-Aruchal Pradesh border will be completed and its construction resumed after holding discussions between experts and the public. “If the project is completed, Assam will get electricity 24 hours a day. The project will also help boost irrigation and create job opportunities,” Goyal said.

He said that the expert committee formed by the government on the Lower Subansiri hydro power project will submit its report soon. The minister was participating in the two-day all-India power ministers conference being held at the Administrative Staff College here.

The Central government will consider the interest of Assam while taking the fil decision on the Lower Subansiri project along the Assam-Aruchal Pradesh border, he said. “The Power ministry together with people and technical experts will resolve the concerns regarding the Lower Subansiri project. We will look after the interest of the people of the region,” he assured.

Work on the Lower Subansiri power project has been stalled since 2011, following massive public protest from anti-dam groups, particularly in Assam, fearing that the project will lead to environmental disaster in downstream states like Assam.

Meanwhile, the Power ministry has rolled out a Rs 10,000 crore project to strengthen the transmission and distribution network in the the eight Northeastern states of the region, Goyal said.

“The Rs.10,000 crore project will boost the power transmission and distribution network. The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has started work. The 6,000 MW Biswath Chariali-Agra transmission line will be ready in another three to three-and-half months,” he said.

He said the stalled projects on the Teesta river in Sikkim were expected to be completed by 2015.  The ONGC’s first power venture 2x363.3 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine at Palata in Tripura has already been commissioned, he said. Another 100 MW capacity addition has been done to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation’s (NEEPCO) Morchak project in Tripura. “The transmission line between Silchar and Imphal has also been completed with an investment of Rs 500 crore,” Goyal said.

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