Itanagar, July 21 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday reviewed the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) with an estimated generation capacity of 11,000 MW.

The Chief Minister in a post on X said: “Had a review meeting on the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) along with HDCM Shri Chowna Mein ji, Chief Secretary Shri Manish Kumar Gupta ji, and senior officers from the Hydro Power Department.”

“Encouraged to learn that villagers from Siang and Upper Siang districts are coming forward in support of conducting the Pre- Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR). I have directed the administration and the department to work in close coordination with the local tribe and ensure that their feedback is duly considered at every stage,” Khandu said.

Meanwhile, after a series of agitations and protests, people of Riga village in Siang district signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 11 for the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the proposed SUMP, which was declared as a ‘National Project’ by the Union government in 2008.

People of Riga village pledged irrevocably to support the Government of India and the government of Arunachal Pradesh in the conduct of pre-feasibility survey, drilling, etc, for the preparation of the Pre-Feasibility Report of the SUMP. The SUMP is a crucial initiative aimed at mitigating the impacts of downstream flooding in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Bangladesh and other environmental issues.

In another major push for hydropower development in Arunachal Pradesh, Union Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal has reviewed the final stages of the 2000 MW generation capacity Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project in Kamle district.

According to a state government official, Agarwal assured central support for the critical infrastructure being developed at Dollungmukh, along the Arunachal-Assam border. The Union Power Secretary was accompanied by National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Rajendra Prasad Goyal and Director (Projects) Sanjay Kumar Singh.

The high-level official team conducted an on-site assessment of India’s largest hydroelectric project on Sunday, which is on the verge of being completed. The Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, which commenced the construction work in January 2005 after obtaining forest clearance in October 2004, faced multiple bottlenecks since its inception, causing a huge delay in commissioning the mega power plant.

In January 2020, the cost of the giant power project, which was originally scheduled to be commissioned in December 2012, had escalated to over Rs 20,000 crore from the initial Rs 6,285 crore.

–IANS

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