NEW DELHI, Nov 22 � Taken aback by loud protest in Bangladesh over the proposed Tipaimukh Dam Projects in Manipur, the Government of India is toying with the idea of inviting another delegation from the neighbouring country to visit the Project site.
Highly placed sources said that India wanted the Bangladeshis to see for themselves that there was no dam, no construction and no project work going on in the area. The Project would require environment clearance, said highly placed sources.
Meanwhile, India has on Tuesday formally declared that Tipaimukh project would have no adverse impact on Bangladesh.
An official spokesperson said, the only recent development pertaining to the project has been the signing of a �Promoter�s Agreement� with the purpose of setting up a Joint Venture Company (JVC) between the Government of Manipur, NHPC Ltd. and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN) on October 22.
A 10-member Bangladesh Parliamentary delegation led by Abdur Razzak, former Water Resources Minister and current Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, had visited India in July 2009 at the invitation of Government of India.
It had been clarified to the delegation that the proposed project was a hydro-electric project with provision to control floods and that this would not involve diversion of water on account of irrigation.
�Subsequently, during the visit of Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010, our Prime Minister had reiterated the assurance that India would not take steps on the Tipaimukh project that would adversely impact on Bangladesh. The assurance was again reiterated during the visit of our Prime Minister to Bangladesh in September 2011�.
In Bangladesh, reports of floating of a JVC has led to huge furor, and Bangladesh Foreign Ministry issued a statement, disclosing that India had promised to give details of the deal signed recently by National Hydro Power Company, Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and the Manipur Government to build the 1,500-MW project.
Media in Bangladesh have reported that the Tipaimukh Dam would decrease water flow in the Barak River during the monsoon, reduce the navigability of the Surma and the Kushiyara, dry up some water bodies and increase riverbank erosion 100-150km downstream.
