[ Karyir Riba ]
ROING, 3 Sep: The NHPC Ltd’s 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydroelectric Project (DMP) has landed in hot water after a raid in one of its sites exposed hundreds of labourers without the mandatory inner line permit (ILP).
On 27 August, the Lower Dibang Valley District Students’ Union (LDVDSU) and the All Idu Mishmi Youth Association (AIMYA) conducted a joint raid on one of the sites of the DMP, only to discover more than 350 workers with no ILP or proper documents. Reportedly, out of the 800 plus workers, only 150 had their ILP.
AIMYA president Milo Linggi said, “This is a matter of huge concern. When such a huge number of outsiders are allowed to get in without any proper documentation, we become highly vulnerable to all kinds of unimaginable antisocial/criminal activities. We never know what kind of background an undocumented outsider has, or what someone’s intentions are, and with no records maintained, it is like giving them a free hand to commit any unlawful offence and go untraced. There were about 800 people at the site, and we found more than 350 labourers without ILPs. Some of them ran away when they saw us. Out of the 800, only 150 had valid ILPs. This was discovered during the inspection. Now, only one tunnel has just started work, and there are more tunnels to come. They plan to bring in about 30,000 labourers for the remaining worksites. If they couldn’t control 800 labourers, how will they manage 30,000? If a proper procedure of checking for valid ILP is not put in place at the earliest, it will become a huge security issue for our district and the state as a whole.”
Speaking on the raid, Linggi informed, “We had approached both the DC and the SP in the matter. Both denied permission to conduct the raid, stating that we were not authorised to do so. But when the administration is not doing its job aptly, someone needs to do it. So, we took the support of the media and conducted the raid, only to find such a huge number of defaulters.”
The Dambuk ADC informed, “All the defaulters were externed, and a notice was issued to the NHPC. We are treating it not just as a serious offence but a breach of trust on the part of the company as, despite being fully aware of the ILP system of the state, they had such a huge number of workers with lapsed ILPs.
We presumed that all required codal formalities were being fulfilled by the company, but we are taking it as an important lesson learnt. From now on there will be surprise checking in these worksites/camps at regular intervals, and if any offender is found, they will be dealt with strictly as per the law. The company will be held fully responsible for any person working under them without proper valid ILP/documents.”
As per sources, the NHPC has since issued a warning to its contractors – M/s Larsen and Toubro Ltd and M/s Dibang Power (Lot-4) Consortium under the GR Infraprojects Ltd – and have directed them to “comply with the applicable laws and submit the details of each and every labourer/workmen/employee with copy of their ILP at the earliest.”
“We assure that this will not be repeated. We expected our contractors to be following all the rules and applicable laws. But the revelation is concerning and it has tarnished our image too. Moving forward, we have directed the contractors to submit each and every worker’s ILP and Aadhaar number on a monthly basis. We will keep a strict check,” said a representative.
Terming the incident an intentional violation, advocate Ebo Mili, who is also the chairman of the North East Human Rights, said, “The blatant disregard for legal requirements not only undermines the rule of law but also poses significant security risks to the region. The DMP, being the highest dam in India, is a critical infrastructural project. It is also a potential ticking time bomb if not managed with the utmost care and adherence to safety protocols. The quality of work must be maintained at the highest standards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the local communities and the environment. Any lapses in quality control could have catastrophic consequences, and its essential that NHPC remains vigilant and proactive in its oversight. There appears to be no comprehensive security assurance in place to mitigate the risk of a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) and other potential hazards, which is a serious concern.”
He added: “It is imperative that all workers at the project sites possess valid ILPs and their credentials are thoroughly verified. Immediate and stringent action should be taken to ensure that such intentional violations are not repeated.”
