(a) whether the Ministry has received proposal for Tipaimukh hydroelectric project;
(b) if so, the details and the present status thereof;
(c) the details of forest land likely to be acquired and the estimated number of trees to be felled for the said project;
(d) whether the Government has assessed the environmental impact of the project; and
(e) if so, the details thereof along with the measures taken to compensate the loss of forest areas?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)
(a) to (e) Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change received, from the Government of Manipur a proposal seeking prior approval of Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of 22,777.50 hectares of forest land for construction of Tipaimukh Hydel Project in Manipur. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change also received, from the Government of Mizoram a proposal seeking prior approval of Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of 1,551.60 hectares of forest land for construction of a part of the said project falling in Mizoram.
The forest land proposed to be diverted in Manipur contained 78,16,931 trees and 0.27 lakh bamboo culms. Similarly, the forest land proposed to be diverted in Mizoram contained 14,634 trees and 40.40 lakh bamboo culms.
Keeping in view inter-alia that requirement of forest land for the project is large and is disproportionate to its power generation capacity and also keeping in view that very high ecological, environmental and social impact/cost of the diversion of the vast tract of forest land will far outweigh the benefits likely to accrue from the project, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change declined prior approval of Central Government under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of the said forest land.