Staff reporter

ITANAGAR, April 29: The Arunachal Pradesh Pro-Dam Movement (PDMAP) demanded the immediate cancellation of no less than 142 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the state government with several private power companies, saying that not commissioning any of the hydropower projects so far, the terms and conditions of the agreements have been completely violated.

Speaking to the press club media here on Thursday, PDMAP chairman Taw Paul informed that the organization submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on April 28, requesting the termination of the memoranda of understanding, and also had requested the state government to consider the remaining 13 requests related to state hydropower projects submitted by the PDMAP.

Finding out that Rs 1,495.75 crore has been collected from various electricity developers, both public and private, as up-front costs for hydropower projects in the state, PDMAP sought out a white paper on all the details of the spending. committed to projects.

“The state government should be clear about this and disclose to the public all the details of the expenses incurred on the projects. As the government continues to collect the initial costs in crore, the status of projects on the ground speaks volumes, ”said Paul.

He also called for exploring the possibilities of forming a joint venture with central PSUs and state agencies such as Indo-Arun Hydro Power Corporation Ltd, “so that mega and micro hydro projects can be exploited and thus create employment opportunities for unemployed young people.

Paul also looked for a white paper on the revenues obtained at 12% of the hydropower projects already ordered like the 40mw Ranganadi hydropower project (HEP), the 110mw Pare HEP and the 600mw Kameng HEP.

“The state government should put in the public domain all the details of the investments / expenditures made from the revenues collected from the hydroelectric projects ordered. As a measure of well-being and in the interest of the inhabitants of the state, the government should provide for free distribution of electricity from the energy produced by these hydroelectric projects ”, declared the president of the PDMAP.

Revealing that the state government in 2007 took out a loan of Rs 225 crore from NHPC Ltd at 9% interest per annum to revive Apex bank, Paul said the money had not yet been released. fully returned to NHPC.

“The Apex bank authority says it only received Rs 180 crore out of the total of Rs 225 crore borrowed from NHPC Ltd. What about the balance? What are the terms adopted to repay the loan amount? He asked.

Further claiming that illegal logging and deforestation activities are taking place in the Dollungmukh region “on behalf of the submersion area of ​​the lower HEP of Subansiri”, Paul stated that the illegal logging activities are carried out. mainly outside the notified flood zone of the project, causing random losses. flora and fauna.

“Corrective actions taken by the state government must be brought to the fore in the general interest of the public concerned,” added Paul.

The PDMAP also requested “clarification on the total amount received by the state government under the Net Present Value (NPV) / Management and Planning Authority of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA) from various developers of ‘electricity.

Meanwhile, seeking to book jobs for the state’s educated youth in power companies and projects, Paul said that, in accordance with existing rules of the MoA / MoU signed with the various hydropower developers, “there is no There are no reservations reserved for groups A and category B of jobs.

“This is a major setback for our educated Aboriginal youth. A necessary amendment to the MoU clause should be incorporated to obtain at least 40 percent job reservation in Group A and B jobs. There should be a 100 percent full reservation for recruitment in the job categories of groups C and D, while the examination for the same should be carried out under the supervision of the state government, ”said Paul.

Other demands raised by PDMAP include renaming Ranganadi HEP to Panior HEP; establishment of the NHPC regional director’s office in Itanagar; relocation of NEEPCO’s head office from Shillong to Itanagar; creation of the office of the executive director of NEEPCO for projects in the State; and a functional office of the Lower Subansiri HEP in Kulaptukar in Kamle district rather than Gerukamukh in Assam.

Noting that the PDMAP has submitted several representations to the state government over its series of demands, Paul threatened to start a democratic movement if the government does not respond to demands within a month.