Meet on Dam seeks people's mandate
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 11, 2012:
A review held today at Manipur Press Club on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam has resolved that people's informed consent should be obtained first after conducting a holistic impact assessment on the merits and demerits of the dam.
The review meeting was jointly organised by the Citizens' Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD), North East Dialogue Forum, Committee on Land and Natural Resources (COLNER), Action Committee Against Tipaimukh Dam Project (ACTIP) and Sinlung Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Organisation.
The meeting further decided to demand annulment of the MoU signed between the Government of India and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.
To rescind the environmental clearance given by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2008 was another resolution of the meeting.
It also resolved that a holistic impact assessment should be conducted about the possible impacts of Tipaimukh Dam on the economy, culture, ecology, health and right to life of the indigenous people.
The Government should be adhere to the recommendations of UNCERD and prior informed consent of the people likely to be affected by the dam should be obtained first.
The Forest Advisory Sub-Committee of the Ministry of Forest and Environment should understand the Government could never compensate for 7.8 million matured trees and 25,822 hectares of bamboo groves which would be destroyed when Tipaimukh Dam is constructed.
The Forest Advisory Sub-Committee should listed to the local experts and the people who would be affected by the dam, asserted many of the speakers.
Before taking up the issue of Tipaimukh Dam, the Government of India should first comply with the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Maintaining that modernisation programmes including construction of Tipaimukh Dam should not be done through militarisation, the meeting further resolved that AFSPA should be repealed at once.
Observing that mega dams are not the only source of energy, the speakers urged the authorities to exploit other sources of energy.
Another resolution of the meeting was that people, after learning all the adverse impacts of Tipaimukh Dam, should stand united and prevent construction of the dam.
Speaking at the review meeting, CCDD chairperson RK Ranjan noted that the project authority has not yet produced even the basic project document about the proposed Tipaimukh Dam.
As per the report given by the project authority in 1984, it was said that 161 villages would be inundated due to construction of Tipaimukh Dam.
But the number of villages has been reduced to 61 over time.
By the latest report, only 16 villages would be submerged by the dam.
In this way, the authorities have been concealing the facts.
Though the expected installed capacity of Tipaimukh Dam is 1500 MW, in practice it can generate only 500 MW of power.
Out of this, Manipur would get 10 to 12 per cent which comes to around 40 MW.
Ranjan asked if the people of Manipur should sacrifice invaluable forest areas, trees and a number of fish and animal species for the mere 40 MW of power.
The dam would produce adverse impacts on the Bumming Bird Sanctuary as well as the Keilam Wildlife Sanctuary.
Large areas of Tamenglong district where oranges are cultivated would be submerged once the dam is constructed.
Many other areas of the State which are intrinsically related with the history of Manipur would also be inundated for good.
Moreover, 20 Kms of Imphal-Jiribam highway would also be submerged by the dam.
In short, the benefits expected from the dam is too little compared to losses it would entail, RK Ranjan said.
It is the companies manufacturing steel, cement etc and the agencies which would execute the project that would be benefited from the proposed dam.
For the general public, they have little to gain from the dam.
Cautioning that the Government would deploy its military to build Tipaimukh Dam forcibly, U Nobokishore of the North East Dialogue Forum pointed that many parents of Loktak area are unable to educate or feed their children as a result of the Loktak Multip-urpose Project.
A large number of people would be made beggars once the Tipaimukh Dam is constructed.
The review meeting was also participated by Oinam Jiten of the All Loktak Lake Fishermen's Union, Ramthing Kasar representing people affected by Mapithel Dam, Nganbi of the JAC Against Eviction of Lamphel Yaipha Leikai, LH Kaulum Anal of the People's Development Organisation, Aram Pamei of CCDD and John Pamei of Zeliangrong Students' Union.
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