ITANAGAR, Sept 12 � A students� body has appealed to the Union Minister of Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh to reconsider setting up of hydroelectric projects in Adi belt of Arunachal Pradesh as the area falls under the seismic zone V.
Out of the 137 MoUs signed for setting up of hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh, 35 are in Adi-dominated eastern region of the state comprising East Siang, West Siang, Upper Siang and some portions of Lower Dibang valley district with an installed capacity of 20,066 mw, Adi Students� Union (AdiSU) sources said today.
The Union minister cancelled his proposed trip to Pasighat yesterday following inclement weather. A delegation of the AdiSU called on Ramesh on Friday and submitted a memorandum on the hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh. The minister assured the delegation to visit the State whenever weather permits to have free and fair interaction on dam issue.
Describing the Arunchal Pradesh Government�s decision to set up so many dams in Adi belt, which falls under seismic zone V, as too �excessive and superficial�, the memorandum said that the �region was not feasible to construct dams of such magnitude, which witnessed 87 major to minor tremors in a span of 67 years (1929 -1993) and flash flood like that of year 2000.�
It demanded immediate scrapping of some mega dams like Lower Siang Hydel Project (2,700 mw), Pugging Project at Upper Siang (6,000 mw), Upper Siang II in Siang river (3,700 mw), Siyum Project in Siyum river of West Siang (1,000 mw), Dibang Multipurpose dam (3,000 mw). � PTI
