Central government has finally given green signal for Dibang Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh by approving expenditures on pre-investment activities as the first step. The project can be termed as ‘iconic’ as not only it is going to be the largest and the tallest ever hydroelectric project to be constructed in India, but also for the fact that it carries with it a history of several interruptive spells spread over more than a decade. And with the go-ahead nod ultimately coming, it should be the time for rewinding the past and putting some efforts to foresee the future that lies ahead.
The massiveness of the figures both in terms of financial inputs and the nitty-gritty of the technicalities are indeed mind-boggling. Proposed at an astonishing height of 278 metres, total cost has been calculated to be approximately Rs. 28080 at June 2018 price level with an expected completion period of nine years from receipt of Government Investment sanction of the principal cost. And taking all the ‘usual practicalities’ involved in such heavyweight projects, it can be presumed that there are every chances of escalation in both costs and time. Generating capacity is 2880 MW annually and on completion Arunachal will get 12% free power, besides 1% free power exclusively as a part of Local Area Development Fund. The combined total financial benefit for the state will thus be Rs 26785 crore spread over next forty years after its completion. Flood moderation will be one of key objectives as it will prevent downstream areas from floods. It has also been hailed as a ‘major contribution of India’ to the world which is battling climate change as it will not be using coal at all.
Strictly from economic point of view there will be little doubt that Dibang MPP is of great importance to Arunachal and could play a catalytic role in the state’s overall economic progress. But if the history of its ‘hiccups’ is given a look it can be found that it was all due to the apprehensions of an imminent environmental and ecological disbalance and displacement of human settlements. In 2013, Forest Advisory Committee of Environment Ministry put brakes on the project after it found that around 350,000 trees had to be destroyed in the process. As of now, these anxieties do exist today which will be altogether too hard to ignore.
It will thus be the time to strike a fine balance between development and people’s feelings which can only ensure a smooth ride for the project. This can be done by taking all stakeholders into confidence and arriving at a consensus which should desirably be of collective in character and not a lopsided one.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List