Bangla team arrives in Delhi

NEW DELHI, July 30 – A 10-member all-party delegation of parliamentarians of Bangladesh landed in the capital, here this afternoon, for an on site study of the impact of the Tipaimukh dam project. The delegation led by Abdur Razzak would arrive in Guwahati tomorrow on its way to Manipur. They are scheduled to leave for Imphal on Sunday.

“We will ask the Indian authorities not to implement any project that diverts or withdraws water from the Barak river,” Razzak, who is the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Water Resources Ministry, told newsmen.

He said they proposed to request the Government of India to launch a joint survey on the proposed Tipaimukh multi-purpose dam before beginning construction.

The 10-member delegation, whcih comprises six lawmakers, three officials and a water expert, during its five-day tour is slated to meet officials of the Ministry of Water Resources and Power. The delegation also plans to visit Barak Valley and survey the spot where a barrage is proposed to be constructed.

The Centre has recently appointed National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) as the implementing agency for the 1500 MW multi-purpose hydroelectric project replacing North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), which was awarded the project in January 2003.

The project will now be a joint venture between NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and Manipur Government.

The project has obtained statutory clearances from the State Governments of Manipur, Assam and Mizoram. Even environmental clearance had also been given by the Centre, official sources clarified.

The 390 meters long dam, one of the largest in Eastern India, would be built up on the downstream of the confluence of the Tuivai and Barak rivers near the Manipur-Mizoram border. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

The raging controversy over Tipaimukh dam project was raised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the NAM Summit at Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

“We have been talking to the Bangladeshi Parliamentary Standing Committee and invited them to send an all-party delegation to visit the site and see what actually is going on, so that a lot of exaggerated opinions would be set at rest. “Ultimately we might start looking at a more creative solution,” Foreign Secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon told newsmen.

“We are willing to look into all the issues raised by Bangladesh for solution of the issue,” he said.