GUWAHATI, June 3 - Former vice-president of the All Assam Students� Union Tularam Gogoi, who is an advocate practising at the Gauhati High Court here, has filed a case before the Kolkata-based Eastern Zone (EZ) Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging that the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the executing agency of the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project (LSHEP), has not placed before the people concerned the changed designs etc of the power project for their approval.
As per the norms of the Environment and Forest Ministry for the purpose of getting a fresh environment clearance for any project that gets its design etc changed, the executor of the project should get the approval of the people concerned first of all.
Gogoi said in his petition that the Union Environment Ministry�s fresh clearance is needed for any project which gets its design changed after getting the original environment clearance. The clearance granting process should be started anew and for the purpose public hearings are to be held for getting the approval of the people who are being affected by the project, or those living in the downstream areas of the project.
Only after getting the approval of the people being affected by the project or living in the downstream areas of the project, the Environment Ministry clearance can be expected, said the Environment Ministry norms.
In the case under reference, the NHPC authorities have not bothered to get the approval of the people through public hearings even though the design as well as the plan of the LSHEP has undergone several changes since 2003, said Gogoi.
On behalf of Gogoi, advocates Ritwick Dutta and Srija Chakravorty argued before the Tribunal Bench and after hearing their arguments, the Tribunal Bench admitted the petition of Gogoi on May 31. The Bench has fixed July 17 next for hearing and directed the parties involved to make their written submissions by that date, Gogoi said.
