TAWANG, 10 Apr: Chief Minister Pema Khandu suggested to power developers who are already working in Arunachal Pradesh to explore setting up smaller projects in their respective river basins and work on them, if feasible, to add to the hydropower capacity of the state.
Chairing a meeting of the steering committee of the Hydropower Development Department here on Thursday, Khandu said that the tributaries of the five main rivers of the state are small and can be feasible for generation of 100 to 300 MW of power. He said that the CPSUs working on larger projects can increase their scope by doing smaller projects simultaneously.
“As you already have men and machine at the work sites, it shouldn’t be a difficult task,” Khandu said.
Reviewing the status of 13 hydropower projects across the districts of Shi-Yomi, Dibang Valley, Anjaw, Subansiri, Kamle, and other parts of the state, Khandu expressed satisfaction that all the projects are progressing well with the entire government machinery working in coordination.
He urged the CPSUs to maintain their timeline and complete their respective projects on time.
“Delay in execution costs us Rs 9 crore per day in lost revenue and local area development fund. This underlines the urgency of timely implementation,” Khandu said.
He also emphasised on the role of the Power Grid (PGCIL) in power sector development in the state.
“Power Grid needs to work in tandem with the hydropower developers, so that power transmission can begin from day one,” he said.
Khandu underscored that the state government and the CPSUs must continue to work in synergy, not in silos, and commended the commitment and teamwork this far.
The meeting, which was attended also by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta, adviser HK Paliwal, the deputy commissioners of the districts concerned, and representatives from the Government of India and CPSUs NHPC, SJVN, NEEPCO and THDCIL, reviewed project-specific timelines, addressed key hurdles, and assessed the progress of land acquisition.
The deputy commissioners were instructed to expedite the process with greater sensitivity and community engagement.
On the occasion, MoUs were signed with four PSUs for training and capacity building of technical and non-technical staffers of the Hydropower Development Department to build a future-ready workforce.
Earlier, the chief minister handed over a cheque of Rs 269.97 crore to the Dibang Valley deputy commissioner on behalf of SJVN Ltd.
“This marks a significant step forward in the construction of the 3097 MW Etalin hydroelectric project – one of the largest in the country,” Khandu said.
He also thanked the Mishmi community for their support in the execution of the project.
“Your cooperation is crucial for realising Arunachal Pradesh’ vision of harnessing its rich hydropower potential for sustainable growth and prosperity,” Khandu added. (CM’s PR Cell)
