On the 6th of August the members of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) placed various points and arguments for scrapping of the Panang hydel power project in a preliminary round talk held with the Power Department officials.
The meeting held in the office of the Secretary, State Power and Energy Department was attended by ACT members led by its vice presidents, Chopel Lepcha and Tseten Lepcha along with Sopourna Lahiri, member of the independent committee.
In a press release, ACT general secretary, Dawa Lepcha said that “the much expected talk after the scrapping of four projects in Dzongu and the withdrawal of the indefinite fast by the members of the ACT, centered around the two projects in Dzongu which we want to be stopped as well, namely Panang and Teesta IV, which are in the heart of Dzongu and which will be the most harmful to the people.”
During the meeting, ACT members pointed out that the concurrence from the Central Electric Authority was yet to be received for the project work to start, apart from the test drilling for rock samples, he said. They said that even Forest Clearance and Clearance from the Tribal and Social Justice Ministry were also pending.
It was also reminded that 4005 ha of Khangchendzonga National Park and Biosphere Reserve was being encroached in violation of Supreme Court Rulings and National Park Notification, by the CAT plan of the Panang project. Besides, 20 monasteries including Mani Lhagangs, sacred springs, lakes and landscapes, which are propitiated by the Lepchas, the nature worshipers were getting affected by the implementation of the projects in Dzongu, the general secretary said in a press release.
ACT also mentioned the recent declaration of the Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy, that run-of-the-river projects in the country will not be given priority.
At the same time, the activists maintained that they are ready to comply by the suggestions put up by the independent expert committee who had visited the project area in May, that moratorium of ten years is also acceptable to them in case of Panang project, with other projects standing scraped.
Mr. Lepcha also said that ACT has asked a letter ordering the stopping of any illegal project related work until the concurrence and clearances are received.
The State Power Secretary on his part said that the government can stop the projects if the majority of the people are not in favour of the projects. He also pointed out that no project related work will be allowed to start until the concurrence from the CEA is received and other clearances.
Next round of talk is awaited, the general secretary added.
Meanwhile, in West Sikkim on the same day, the situation turned hostile at the Pelling ground when the scheduled public hearing had to be cancelled at the last minute today.
The public hearing of the Rimbi Hydel Power Project (66 MW), to be commissioned by Gammon India Limited was cancelled when the team from the State Pollution Control Board and Sikkim Power Development Corporation failed to turn up at the venue. Even the area MLA could not attend the public hearing due to road blocks from massive landslides, which had occurred at Legship.
On the other hand, landowners from Gyalshing, Lingchom, Rimbi, Darap, Pelling, who had come for the hearing organised by the SPCB lamented that the Gammon India Limited did not respond to their queries.
The people, who were already confused over the cancellation of the public hearing, said that they were kept in dark regarding many issues pertaining to the project.
“Since we are parting with our lands, we just wanted to what exactly the Memorandum of Understanding contains,” said one person.
They further complained that not a single meeting has been held with the local Panchayats, NGOs or senior citizens regarding the said project.
(The above pictures are pictures of Teesta Stage 3 Project coming up at the confluence of the Teesta and the lachung Chu at Chungthang in North Sikkim. It is one of the biggest dams to come up in India with a capacity to generate 1200 MW. This once sleepy little beautiful town with an old British bungalow from the time of the Raj wakes up each morning to sirens of blasts that tear through the hills to make way for the tunnels. Tourists and locals driving to Sikkim's favorite holiday destination of Yumthang and lachung have to bear the the thought of man's excesses in this truly beautiful valley....)
The Affected Citizens of Teesta (Act) also raised serious concerns over the grave violations of environmental and human rights violation in North Sikkim, especially in the project site of the Teesta Stage III, being developed by the Teesta Urja Limited.
ACT’s Tseten Lepcha has said that the violation is due to the unconstitutional protection given to the Teesta Urja Company Limited by various department of the State Government.
Concerned by the discovery of a dead “Serrow” or Thar, listed on the Scheduled I of endangered animals list in the project site contrary to the findings of “doctored studies of agencies like WAPCOS and the connivance of the Chief Wild Life Warden of the State Forest Department” that there are no wild animals in the project area, Mr. Lepcha said that the same was a proof that the agencies who carried out the studies were incompetent or doctored their findings. “Even the State Forest Department failed in their role to carry their basic duty of protecting the Wild Life,” he alleged.
“Despite the fact that the damsite is located within the buffer zone of the Khangchendzonga Biosphere reserve, all studies carried out by agencies like WAPCOS at the behest of the Teesta Urja company for the Environment Impact Assessment and subsequent EMP have stated that there are no wild animals in the project Area,” Mr. Lepcha said in a press release.
On objection by the people in the public hearing to this issue, the Central government had asked the opinion of the State Wild Life Department. But the Chief Wild Life Warden without even giving a thought to the actual facts gave an NOC saying that there is no threat to wild life, he said.
The forest officials, who were present in the public hearing, are also alleged to have not pointed out the facts of the existence of wildlife in the proposed project area.
Informing that a case was registered and that the IOU has recorded presence of blood in around the area where the animal carcass was found with a horn broken, Mr. Lepcha said that it was shocking that the post mortem report of the Veterinary Doctor of Chungthang concluded that the animal died of respiratory problem after eating some cardboards and plastics.
The State Land Revenue Department, Mangan handed over land compensation cheques to the land owners of Lingchom-Tanek.
The land will be utilised by Sneha Kinetic Power Projects Limited for the construction of 96 MW hydel power project at Dikchu Sorongdong area. The project is a run-of-the river scheme and envisages construction of a 36-metre high concrete gravity dam across Dikchu River. This is the first phase disbursement at Rongyong where 13 families have been affected and a cheque amounting to Rs. 1, 55, 96, 112 were handed over to the land owners.
The three affected families from Phodong were handed over a cheque worth Rs. 1, 21, 70, 400 while the 15 families at Tanek were handed over a cheque amounting to Rs. 2, 63, 99, 497.
During the programme, the area MLA, Hissey Lachungpa said that the amount received should be utilized well and that the construction of the power project in the region will benefit everyone. He also added that local youth will get jobs and contract works.
About 80 percent has been disbursed in the first phase and 20 percent amount will be disbursed later, it was informed.
.jpg)
