Sikkim Flash Floods: CAP seeks CBI inquiry into Sikkim Urja ‘scandal’, submits memorandum to Guv

In a significant development, the Citizen Action Party (CAP) today met Governor Lakshman Acharya and urged him to announce a CBI probe into the washing away of the dam of the Teesta-III project and damage to the Teesta-V dam in Sikkim because of Lhonak Lake in north-west Sikkim that caused massive damage to people’s lives and homes, roads and infrastructure in the state earlier this month.
The delegation led by party president LP Kafley and chief coordinator Ganesh Rai submitted two memorandums to the Governor, emphasizing the importance of swift action in response to the disaster. The delegation pointed out that had the government initiated early measures in line with the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and the Dam Safety Act of 2021, the scale of losses and damages incurred could have been significantly reduced. The party appealed to the Governor, urging him to direct the state government to provide comprehensive compensation to the affected families. They stressed that the relief measures announced thus far would fall short of addressing the full extent of the losses suffered by these families.

Governor Lakshman Acharya assured the delegation that he would thoroughly examine the issues brought to his attention. This commitment provides hope that these pressing matters will receive the attention and action they require to benefit the affected families and bring transparency in the Sikkim Urja project.
Sikkim’s biggest hydro power project Sikkim Urja (formerly Teesta Urja) suffered massive damage due to the flash flood on October 4 early morning as the dam and the bridge connecting the powerhouse were washed away.
In 2004, the Central Electricity Authority prepared a preliminary feasibility report of 162 hydel projects in the country with an installed capacity of 50,000 MW of power generation of which 10 were to be built in Sikkim with an installed capacity of 1,469 MW.
As the years passed, more projects were added and as per the National Hydropower Development Corporation (NHDC), 47 hydropower projects are in different development stages on Teesta river in Sikkim and West Bengal. Of them, nine have been commissioned, work on 15 dams is going on and another 28 are in the pipeline.

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