Rs 2000-crore Umngot power project
SHILLONG: The construction of the 80×3 (240) mw Umngot power project which can largely solve the power woes of the State will start only after 2015.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, MeECL senior engineer Elias Lyngdoh said, “The construction would start not before 2015 and documentation of the project will happen in 2013-14.”
The Rs 2000 crore Umngot power project which would by far be the biggest power project in the state has been opposed by the local villagers fearing that their households would submerge once the proposed dam comes into existence.
Reacting to a query, the official informed that the detailed project report (DPR) of the project has been completed and the same has been submitted to the Central Electric Authority (CEA) for scrutiny.
According to Lyngdoh, the CEA has asked the MeECL to modify certain aspects of the DPR.
The proposed project would cover an area of 390 hectares straddling both Jaintia Hills and East Khasi Hills districts and will be implemented by the MeECL over a period of five years.
Interestingly, even as the project is facing opposition from villagers in East Khasi Hills, people in Jaintia Hills have welcomed it.
The MeECL has already carried out the survey for the project.
The official also informed that the MeECL would soon submit the environment report to the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
This project, which is to be executed by the MeECL, received its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification from the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment in 2006 and the site clearance was given in 2007. Assessment and survey began in 2008.