NEW DELHI, Aug 16 � Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding Lower Subansiri Hydro Power Project being executed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), a scramble has begun among power hungry States for allocation of power from the proposed project, even as the Union Power Ministry allocated power to Northern, Western and North Eastern Region from the Project.
Power from the 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Power Project has been allocated by Ministry of Power (vide letter no. 11/01/2002-DO (NHPC) dated 14.07.2009 to the States in the three regions, Minister of State for Power, Bharatsinh Solanki said in a Rajya Sabha reply here today.
Orissa Government has represented against non-allocation of power from this project, the Minister confirmed, confirming that no power has been allocated to Orissa from the project that has hit a rough patch following publication of a report by the Expert Panel.
There is no proposal to allocate power from this project to Orissa, as it would affect the commercial viability of the PGCIL�s high capacity transmission corridor (6000 MW Biswanath-Chariali to Agra HVDC Bipole Line) for export of power from Subansiri, Kameng and Bhutanese hydroelectric projects to Northern and Western Regions, Solanki explained.
As reported last week, the Union Environment and Forest (MoEF), Jairam Ramesh has all but ruled out the possibility of halting the work on the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, stating that where projects are under implementation, all he could do is, insist on mitigation measures, neutralisation measures, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) measures so that the adverse environmental impact is minimal.
�I cannot become a Minister for stoppages. I cannot become a Minister who puts a stop to all ongoing projects,� he said.
