NEW DELHI, May 22 – Assam may be reeling under massive power shortages, but Union Power Minister is still sitting on the proposals to grant long-term coal linkages to Chandrapur and Margherita thermal power plants. Applications seeking long-term coal linkage and Letter of Assurance (LoA) for setting up 60 MW thermal power project at Chandrapur and 500 MW Margherita project were received by the Ministry of Coal and sent to Ministry of Power for recommendations.

Highly critical of being furnished a “half-baked” reply on diversion of waters of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries by China, the standing committee on water resources has once again asked the Water Resources Ministry to compile complete data of major river systems in the country at the earliest.

A committee appointed by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) to study the case visited the site and said the dam would harm the grassland ecosystem, and the Bengal bustard and wild water buffaloe — both highly endangered species — that live in it, as well as fragmenting the habitat of the Gangetic dolphin downstream, and submerging a nearby conservation area of medicinal plants.

However, the State government officials insist that neither the grasslands nor conservation area would be submerged, adding that there are no reports of sighting the Gangetic dolphin near the proposed dam site.

Sets aside objections of wildlife expert panel; IIT Roorkee to conduct study. Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has set aside objections of a wildlife expert committee and given the go-ahead to the 1,750 MW Demwe Lower Hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh. The project is a joint enterprise of Athena Demwe Power and the Arunachal Pradesh government.

Overruling members of a high-power committee on wildlife, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has given the green signal for construction of a mega hydel project in Arunachal Pradesh on Lohit river, which originates from China.

In its recent meeting, members of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) had opposed giving environmental clearance to the 1,750 MW Demwe Lower Hydro Electric project arguing that it would have a serious impact on the ecology, wildlife and also the livelihood of people living upstream and downstream in neighbouring Assam.

Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has given green signal for construction of a 1,750 MW Demwe Lower Hydro Electric hydel project in Arunachal Pradesh on Lohit river, which originates from China.

By doing so, the minister has overruled the observations of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), which had opposed the construction of this project arguing that it would have a serious impact on the ecology, wildlife and also the livelihood of people living upstream and downstream in neighbouring Assam.

The Planning Commission has given investment clearance for the Rs 54.43-crore project for the restoration of Dibang and Lohit rivers to their original courses at Dholla Hatiguli in Assam. The project is expected to be completed within the current fiscal year ending March 31, an official release said.

The Ministry of Water Resources and the Brahmaputra Board would restrict the expenditure to the approved cost and no addition expenditure beyond approved cost is to be permitted unless the revised estimate is approved as per the prescribed procedure, it added.

NEW DELHI, Feb 6 – After clearing two remaining phases of the Majuli Island Protection Project, the Planning Commission has accorded investment clearance to ‘Restoration of Dibang and Lohit rivers to their original courses at Dholla-Hatighuli’ project. The project, estimated to cost Rs 54.43 crore, is to be completion in 2011-12 and Plan accounts would be closed by March 31, 2012. Plan panel sources said the project may be executed according to the approved outlays by the Ministry of Water Resources and Brahmaputra Board.

ITANAGAR: The National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA) has selected two districts of Arunachal Pradesh for implementation of National School Safety Programme (NSSP) among 43 districts of the country.

Lohit and East Siang districts have been selected for the implementation of the demonstration project to promote culture of safety in schools, official sources said here today.