ITANAGAR, 27 Nov: The Project Affected Peoples Forum (PAPF) has appealed to the NHPC Ltd for reinstatement of the jobs of all the local skilled and unskilled employees of the Etalin Hydroelectric Project (HEP).
In a representation addressed to the chairman and managing director of the NHPC, the PAPF on Thursday stated that, “since the reassignment of the Etalin (3,097 mw) HEP has been recently approved for handing over to the NHPC Ltd from SJVN Limited by the Ministry of Power, GoI, all the local employees (skilled and unskilled) along with other project assets of Etalin HEP should also be reinstated in their present respective jobs without fail.”
“In its initial period, Etalin HEP was supported by local population due to the promises and assurances given by both the government and the project developer for upliftment of the project affected people in terms of socioeconomic development and providing jobs under C&D categories (skilled and unskilled) also. Following the trust and assurances from the government and the project developer, we all have wholeheartedly supported the HE project so the public hearing for the environmental clearance of the project was cleared in one go 12 December, 2015. It is very astonishing that the Ministry of Power, Govt of India, has reassigned the HE project to the NHPC Ltd from the SJVN Ltd for reasons not known to us midway, without fulfilling all the pending activities of the said HEP till now,” the PAPF said.
