If Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Lok Sabha MP, Tapir Gaon is to be believed almost all contracts have been awarded without undertaking any scientific study. BJP has now asked the State Government to review the MoA signed with private companies.
For the cause of development the State Government should not exceed the limitations, said Gaon, claiming that upcoming power projects have become a matter of serious concern for the North-east.
The former BJP MP's assertion comes at a time, when a controversy is raging in Assam over the expert panel's report on Subansiri Lower Hydro Power Project being executed by National Hydro Power Corporation.
In Arunachal Pradesh at least 70 per cent of these projects have been bagged by private companies, while 30 per cent have gone to public sector undertakings. "Arunachal Pradesh Government must re-look the rampant MoA signed with the private developers," he demanded.
Predicting that such huge number of dams proposed up stream in the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries might spell doom, Gaon said some 718 dams are coming up. In the river Kameng at least 12 dams are proposed to be constructed. Huge land areas including villages face submersion, he said.
As it is, the State Government has not taken the local populace into confidence, which he said is also violation of the local tribal tradition.
He claimed that the contracts were being awarded without any scientific study by the State Government and developers taking advantage have inserted favourable clauses that free them from any liability.
According to Clause 11.1 of the agreement, all of which have identical terms and conditions including one which says that neither party shall be responsible in any manner for losses arising out of situations like earthquake, flood, fire explosion, cyclone, external invasion and landslide among others, which are beyond the reasonable control of the affected party.
Gaon claimed that some of the projects awarded are close to the seismic danger zones. Arunachal Pradesh might become a huge lake if anything like the 1950 earthquake strikes and it will have a devastating impact downstream in Assam and Bangladesh.
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