Khandu for hydro projects

GUWAHATI: : The dams that China is building on rivers in Tibet that flow into India, especially Tsangpo and its tributaries, have prompted Arunachal Pradesh to pitch

GUWAHATI: : The dams that China is building on rivers in Tibet that flow into India, especially Tsangpo and its tributaries, have prompted Arunachal Pradesh to pitch for the revival of hydropower projects.

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Tsangpo is one of three rivers that meet in Assam to form the Brahmaputra.

Last month, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu indicated his government was feeling the pressure from hydropower project investors. At a meeting of the state hydropower department, he pulled up officials for “inefficiency” in executing small projects. “It’s a matter of shame that we failed to make optimum use of the funding,” he said.

Activists feel the powerful dam lobby — having paid over Rs 1,500 crore as processing fee (allegedly more in kickbacks) for 168 dams — want their investments back. They said India was using Chinese dams as an excuse to fast-track ecologically unadvisable projects.