Khandu urges for field survey of Dibang project

Itanagar, Nov 29 (UNI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu has exhorted the National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) authorities to constitute committees for assessing the ground reality of the areas affected by the Dibang Basin Power Project in Dibang Valley district.

Mr Khandu was speaking at a meeting convened to solve the basic problems of certain villages, under Dibang Valley district, to be affected by the power project at Roing, the district headquarters, yesterday.

The Chief Minister categorically called for constituting committees in consultation with the concerned district deputy commissioner, power secretary and forest officials and villagers from the affected areas, official sources said here today.

He assured the Dam Affected Citizens Committee (DACC) of all possible help from the state government.

The Chief Minister further explained about the benefits that would be provided to the locals through the power project and emphasised for boosting up such project for economic and power development of the state as well as for the country.

''We have huge resources which need to be tapped,'' he said and called upon the NHPC authorities to include the genuine demands of the locals in their Detailed Project Report (DPR) and also urged them to prepare a model for the rehabilitation means for the affected villages.

Earlier, the DACC, while submitting a memorandum, apprised the Chief Minister about the basic problems that were likely to rise due to dam construction and sought appropriate remedy for the betterment of the locality.

They demanded for inclusion of more villages likely to be affected due to the project, besides categorically including selection of owners, amount of compensation, construction of government buildings, facility in resettlement areas, mode of payment of compensation among others.

The Chief Minister explained the matter to the NHPC representatives and urged them to expedite it with appropriate authorities.

Among others, state Power Secretary T Norbu, NHPC Executive Director D C Roing, besides other senior government officials were present at the meeting, the sources added.

UNI