By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : The Lower Subansiri project is about to commence its work even as the national green tribunal has set July 24 for the final verdict while the Ministry of power has set 2023 as the commissioning date putting the project in priority list,. The Project has been in limbo since 2011 as the various sections have protested against it in Assam side, while Arunachal Pradesh pushed for early completition. Meanwhile there were several committees and the matter had moved to the National Green Tribunal also where it was awaiting final verdict. The Subansiri once again came to news as on June 4 at Itanagar, as while addressing the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly B D Mishra announced that work would resume soon but that brought immediate flak from the petitioner in the NGT- the Assam Public Works (APW).

The APW said that matter is still sub judice and the verdict is awaited and work cannot be resumed. But the NHPC is confident that verdict would go in their favour. Here is a video story in this regard.The legal hurdles in setting up the 2000 mw Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project (HEP) have been settled, and the National Hydro Power Corporation is going to start the construction shortly, Mishra said. He said all necessary steps would be taken to operationalize and commission the 600 mw Kameng HEP and the 24 mw Dikshi HEP also. “The government will focus on small hydel projects as well, and will also develop a comprehensive policy to harness solar and wind energy,” he said. New Delhi meanwhile said that the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project at Gerukamukh in Assam’s Dhemaji district will be commissioned by 2022-23. A senior official in the Union Ministry of Power said that Central and state governments, both in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, have been trying to get some “modified modalities” so that the work starts. New Delhi has put the northeastern states at the “high priority zone” as far as hydro power potential is concerned. As per the re-assessment study completed by Central Electricity Authority in 1987, the identified hydro power potential in the country was assessed as 1,48,701 MW (1,45,320 MW from Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs) above 25 MW capacity) which included 62604 MW of hydro potential in NE Region including 4248 MW in the state of Sikkim. The government expects to resume work on two of the country’s largest hydroelectric projects, planned by the NHPCNSE 0.60 % at Lower Subansiri and Dibang in Arunachal Pradesh with a combined capacity of 4,800 MW, as the green tribunal has quashed appeals stalling them.